


A World Apart

by Engiffyserce



Category: League of Legends
Genre: Crack, Exploration of Characters, Multi, SLOW BURN LOL, Will add ships/characters as we go, many OCs - Freeform, smut in later chapters, sort of
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-05
Updated: 2018-04-04
Packaged: 2018-09-15 00:08:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 11
Words: 55,222
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9211226
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Engiffyserce/pseuds/Engiffyserce
Summary: Khada Jhin, the worst kept secret, secret-mercenary for the Ionian Council is called to Shurima for a contract. Between  the blistering sand and scorching heat, Shurima couldn't be less inviting, especially when the contract goes wrong and old enemies are looking to kill him again.However, when a young woman intervenes and brings Jhin between the world he hates and a world he's never seen, he's not exactly sure what to do with it or her.





	1. Contract

**Author's Note:**

> My first league story. It's been awhile since I've been on AO3. Crackish because of the ships, but as in character as possible. Enjoy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hassle me for the next chapter on league  
> IGN: Engiffyserce

The sun beat down on the carriage with a ferocity that Ionia had never been able to compare to. The rocky dunes were arid and aggressively barren. The blue sky was striking and the vultures overhead screeched, intermingling with the sounds of merchants clattering in foreign tongues and boisterous hymns in the streets being travelled by the small caravan. The stone, yet unpaved roads shook the beautiful vehicle with a force that even the shocks beneath the wooden and steel structure couldn’t maintain a completely smooth ride for the passenger.

Jhin despised all of it. Shurima was a hot mess with no patterns in its day-to-day life. There were no strict rhythms or movements in these desert lands. And the heat made the lack of order even worse. It got under his skin and made it difficult for him to think. His black hood, usually a welcomed object constricting his breathing and depth perception, was now a prison of sweat and discomfort. So much so that he had compromised with himself to take off both masks until he had to show his skills to the public and avoided looking in any mirrors for the time being.  He internally groaned, shifting in the usually comfortable, leather seats beneath him. His arms were crossed against his chest, fingers drumming along his bicep in ornate aggravation. The Virtuoso wasn’t even sure the contract bounty was even worth it at this point. Not even the long boat ride from Ionia to the main continent of Valor was this bad.

The heat coupled with the unpaved, rocky, and sand blown roads were making him sick as the carriage bounced around. He wasn’t exactly sure how he hadn’t humiliated himself and thrown up yet. But he didn’t press the issue and silently thanked the Gods for his luck. Instead, he let his mind wander into the loud noises outside. Merchants praising and selling wares in foreign tongues and the clatter of the late afternoon bustle was melodic.  The sounds were soothing and took some of the discomfort of the ride out of his system.

He leaned back, breathing a sigh of relief and losing himself in the people that he’d never meet. He contemplated their faces, their names, family, and history. A man of his age found no interest in killing these kind of folk, not anymore. They were secluded and fairly innocent souls, something he himself could never have. Jhin chalked his damnation up to his lack of mercy in his younger years, before he was thrown into jail for the killing of the simple living persons of his early career.

“Khada Jhin, sir,” a female voice chimed, jarring Jhin from his meditative state. He looked around the empty cabin before realizing that the voice had come from the intercom system to his left. Installed into the wood paneling was a box with a speaker and switch. He gave a lopsided grin and slid over, fingers flipping the switch with a red light signaling an open mic on his end.

“No need for formalities, my dear,” he answered, letting the conversation have a humorous note to it. The woman gave a small laugh in return, goofy grin practically beaming through the system. Jhin liked his dispatcher. She was witty and bright with enough brain to know that the Ionian Council was not always correct nor innocent. “Although I wouldn’t mind hearing you speak my name again.”

There was silence on the other line and the Virtuoso waited patiently. They played this game of cat and mouse often and it was none too surprising that they were playing it now. Jhin closed his eyes, listening to the soft shuffling from the other side of the Intercom.

“As much as I’d like to play this game, we do have things to do, _Khada Jhin_.” Her voice was dripping with lust. She had been interested for as long as he could remember and she had never hid it from him. He had thought of topping the cute blonde once or twice himself, considering how little action he truly got. Even an artist who dedicated everything to his work had other needs, but she was still an Ionian drone and that turned him off to the concept.

“So I’ve come to understand,” he answered, moving his fingers through his hair. He winced, pulling his hand away from the sweaty locks. He couldn’t wait to have a shower after the contract was finished. “Go on with it, then.”

“Your contractor wants to meet you before you finish your end of the bargain. They’ve asked to meet on the plateaus outside of the city. Definitely a weird request, but I’m sure it’s because they want to meet the famous Deadeye face to face,” she said. He could tell she tried to keep humor in her voice as best she could, but both of them knew it was more than worrisome to have a contractor ask to meet in an isolated area. It was much more viable for Jhin to meet in a crowded, popular area just in case anyone considered pulling a gun in a hasty move, “but they are of complete Ionian decent and connected to the Council. In any case, I’m sure you are more than capable of pulling a trigger if things go wrong.”

The killer gave a hum in response, leaning back into his seat and sliding down to place his heels on the empty seat in front of him. He pulled a cocky grin, both amused by his dispatcher’s comment and his ability to stretch comfortably across his small carriage cabin’s seats so neatly. Jhin knew he was an artist with more beauty and grace than some of his favorite works and he _loved_ himself for it.

He didn’t even notice when his dispatcher had started on about the little nuances of the job. How far away allies were, which street rats were willing to help, and which inns were the safest for him to stay at. She even liked to add in the best places to eat—just for him she would proudly proclaim—but none of this interested him. That’s what he had servants for; they cared about the things he didn’t have the time to care for.

“Oh and don’t forget that you’re not on Ionian grounds. Anyone could be out to get you, even with your extreme talents and twenty-four seven protection,” she warned, obviously letting the worry from earlier finally seep into her tone. Jhin gave another hum, acknowledging the risk.

His hand slipped to his side to place a hand on an ornate red and gold box sitting beside him, tapping it four times. Inside lay his beautiful paintbrush Whisper and its removable parts. He took a deep breath, listening to the heart beat of his tools. His eyes wandered to the larger and slightly less decorated box that held all the ammo to his weaponry; the paint to his paintbrushes. This reminded himself of his passion and devotion to his work to take the edge off his rising nerves.

It was rare that Jhin felt nervous about a contract. If he did it was based off of having a small stage to perform on or a more than precarious time and place to give a grand finale. But this was different. His dispatcher had never been this openly worried about him. It made sense, however, as Shurima was indeed a mess since the Emperor had risen along with the ancient city itself and the cities surrounding the massive capital were in a frenzy of change.

“Of course,” he answered, fingers quickly flipping the switch to turn off the microphone. Even if his dispatcher continued to talk, he didn’t want to talk anymore. He sighed, rubbing his eyes and groaning. Although the conversation had been pleasant, the oppressive temperature inside the carriage and the distracting and intriguing request of his contractor set his mind back to where he had started in his trip. The noises of the city had ceased as well and he couldn’t find a place for his mind to wander anymore.

This heat was going to kill him if the nausea and paranoia didn’t first.

He moved the maroon curtains placed over the barred windows of the carriage to peak outside. After the first shock of blinding light, his eyes adjusted to the golden sands and sharp rocks. The city they had been travelling through was slowly fading into the horizon. They were close to the meeting place set out between the Council and the contractor. Jhin’s teeth ripped into his bottom lip as he let his mind grasp at the gravity of the situation. But none the less, it was show time and he had to give it his all.

The carriage stopped slowly, pulling aside the designated meeting place. Jhin had already started to prepare by the time they stopped. With his masks replaced, gun and gun parts strapped to his hip, lotus traps clipped to his belt, and his cartridge unit for his infamous Curtain Call strapped onto his shoulder, a servant opened the door.

His face was covered with a decorative mask, similar to Jhin’s in style. A wolf was carved into the wood and metal, making the lanky, rough-looking boy appear more wild and dangerous.

“Master,” he greeted, bowing curtly. He was obviously more than accustomed to Jhin and what the killer expected from his servants. Jhin liked that about this boy in particular. Always listening and always on top of things. There was never a time when he couldn’t be counted on.

“Nattan,” Jhin responded, stepping out of the car. Rare was it for him to call a servant by their name in public, but seeming as this contract was as odd as it could get, some comfort out of formality did the man good. That aching feeling of dread had settled in long ago, but the small comforts such as informal greetings still eased the visible discomforts of his body.

The boy named Nattan warily looked around before pulling his mask up just enough so his master could see his face. Since they were out of view from the contractor, Jhin didn’t find a need to argue.

“I don’t like this. These lands are secluded and have many dark corners. I’m afraid that someone is going to take advantage of such a position,” Nattan whispered, looking down and scuffing the dirt with his sandals. He looked as insecure as Jhin felt.

Jhin reached out and clapped the boy on the shoulder, pulling a goofy smile from the servant. It was an incredibly friendly gesture that Jhin only gave out to his favorite soldiers and Nattan got one almost every week.

“Trust me,” the artist spoke, reaching over to gently replace the boy’s mask back over his face. Jhin turned away from the boy, walking around the side of carriage and into the open. He acknowledged the woman standing in clad armor to his left, his formidable bodyguard, before continuing to his destination. His stride did not falter as he came to walk towards his contractor. His eyes only wandered slightly to notice the high walls of stone and sand to his right and the chasms to his left and behind the contractor. Nowhere to run but back the way they came; bad for both sides.

The man, he presumed, was sitting in the sand, curled forward and shrouded in raggedy cloaks and shredded rope holding ornate strings of beads. Whoever this contractor was, he didn’t want to make a scene nor did he enjoy the finer things in life, Jhin mused. His face was hidden along with his identity, but names were not necessary. This man was either incredibly intelligent and worked hard on a non-threatening pose with an anonymous identity or gallantly foolish and working too hard on a non-threatening pose with an anonymous identity. Either way, Jhin was still wary.

“I assume you are my contractor,” the artist spoke, voice monotonous and calm. Shoulders slack back and hand on his Whisper, Jhin was as nonchalant as he could be without losing his formality, “Khada Jhin, at your service.”

The man chuckled, low and gruff with a familiar edge to it. That edge, Jhin mulled, was an old memory that still sent shivers down his spine. However, this contractor was not in a position to threaten him with the past, if he had even been part of it. “Good,” the contractor whispered just above the wind.

 _Something was wrong_ and Jhin could feel it seep into his skin. This wasn’t good, whatever was happening here. The artist tightened his grip on his gun before shifting his weight into a more defensive stance. He needed to get this meeting over so he could message his dispatcher on his feeling about this. But he wasn’t going to run now; that was bad taste.

“Sir, I believe it’s time for you tell me who the target is,” Jhin said, keeping his tone steady. The man chuckled again, the same low, gruff, and familiar edge-laced sound.

Jhin’s heart raced as the familiar rang in his ears, painting memories in hazy oils and blurry acrylics. That laugh, that edge, sharper than a ninja’s blade, quicker than any gun in Valor—

No, it couldn’t be _him._

“You.”


	2. You

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun times :>

The explosion left Jhin sprawled against the ground and too disorientated to think about his situation for the moment. Dust and rock flew everywhere like sharp rain and the ringing in his ears hurt more than the actual blast impact. His back seared and the familiar feeling of warm and gooey blood soaked into his clothes. His breath was labored as he tried to recover before the enemy did, thankful that the ambush would mean a reset on both sides. The hot Shuriman sands burned his hands as he struggled to regain his balance and stand.

The gunman pushed himself up in one motion, stumbling to his right a few steps before looking up at where he thought his assailant should be standing. Even through his blurred vision, Jhin could only see the tattered cloth that had once hidden the man who started this whole mess. His next thought was of his team, turning to note of their condition.

The blast had been much closer to them than Jhin. The carriage was damaged heavily and the two camels that had been powering it forward lay on the ground in odd angles, presumably dead. Nattan had been able to react, however, seemingly to have seen the explosion and where it started. The young boy was a decent mage and managed to shield himself and the female bodyguard of most of the damaging blast. Although they were both picking themselves off the ground, bruised and battered, they looked much better off than the carriage did.

“Jhin!” the girl called out, leaping up and tossing her metal helmet aside. Her short chestnut hair blew in the heavy winds as she launched herself towards her Master. She was only stopped by the aggressive demand from Jhin. She skidded to a halt, inches away from a chasm wide enough to stop any escape or aid and deep enough to kill a man by falling into it. The guard’s face screwed up in horror as she realized what they had gotten into: it was a battlefield set for Jhin and his opponents and no one else.

Nattan finally caught up to the guard, surveying the situation. There wasn’t many options and none of them seemed good.

“Nattan, Kitori, look at me!” he called out, catching both their attentions. Both of the servants’ faces were similar to scared children and Jhin couldn’t help the small tug at his heart. He smiled behind his masks, glad to know they could not see his human feelings at the moment. Right now, he had to give them orders and hopefully keep them safe. Losing that much talent in one fell swoop is just too wasteful, “get out of here and get a hold of the Council. Get there and tell them _Zed_ is threatening Ionian safety. Go, now, before he has a chance to strike.”

Nattan looked to the ground as Kitori’s facial expression was pained with sadness. Jhin was right: there was nothing they could do in this condition. Jhin saw Kitori’s face wet with tears as Nattan pulled her away and into the safety of the blistering heat. Loyal to a fault, Jhin snickered to himself.

Jhin turned his attention back to the fight at hand. Seeing as the dust was almost settled, he gave himself a moment to list off his injuries and his disadvantages. His left ankle was most definitely sprained or worse and every bit of weight on it threaten to send him back his knees. Although he couldn’t see his back, he knew the blast had caused enough damage to be a concern; he could possibly bleed out before he got a chance to fight Zed off. He quickly rolled both his wrists, thankful that nothing seemed too damage for use. With a deep breath and a sputtering exhale, he could feel the sharp pain of a couple broken ribs on his right side. He must have landed on his armor on his way down.

Clicking his tongue, he unstrapped his cartridge rounds for his Curtain Call, shrugging it to the ground. The makeshift arena wasn’t large enough to use it as it stood, anyways. His whole body thanked him as the weight left his shoulder. He chuckled at just how much pain he was actually in. Zed was going to rip him apart. There wasn’t much he could do now other than hope for a miracle from the Gods.

“My, my, I always do forget how pathetic you are without a screen to hide behind, Khada Jhin. The _Golden Demon,_ just as small and fragile as he was the first time around. If only Kusho had let me kill you then.” Zed’s voice hummed the words as if they were comforting to him. The ninja was now standing in front of the battered mercenary, shadowed by two men.

Jhin eyed the two men joining Zed, noting their standings in Valor right away. The Hand of Noxus and the theatrical Executioner, Darius and Draven. Of course these Noxian idiots would get involved in such a matter. Ionia and Noxus had been enemies since the invasion of Noxus in Ionia. Although Jhin was impartial to the Ionian people, Ionia itself is his home and the destruction of those grounds made contracts against Noxus more enjoyable. His performances were the most beautiful when Noxian blood was used as his medium.

“I assumed that honor was a code both in Ionia and _Noxus_ , but I must have been deceived. A three on one fight isn’t exactly something I’d call fair,” Jhin snarked, standing tall and proud. He wasn’t going to give them the satisfaction of him looking weak at the very least. “This feels familiar from the first time you caught me; the same impossible odds. Sadly however you’ve stooped to the lowest of the low when it comes to allies.”

The dig was grating on the both the brother’s nerves, Jhin didn’t doubt. However, Darius stood without any crack to his stony demeanor, rolling his axe twice over in his hand. Draven, on the other hand, wasn’t so graceful in defeat. The younger brother’s haughty laugh made Jhin grin.

“The only low one here is going to be you when you’re six feet under,” Draven retorted, taking two quick steps forward with one of his axes in hand. If it hadn’t been for a swift hand from Zed to stop the Noxian, Jhin was sure he would have been killed right then.

“The only one who’s going to kill him is _me_ , Noxian” Zed snarled without breaking his gaze from Jhin. The ninja took a step forward, shortening the ten foot gap between him and the artist, “I deserve this right.”

Jhin palmed his gun on his hip, contemplating his options. He had a few clips of ammo and a couple extra shots for his Curtain Call on him. It was in no way good enough to fend off all three of them in one go. Possibly the scrawnier Noxian, possibly.

What a shit day.

“Get it over with then. I tire of spending my last moments listening to you idiots,” the artist spoke.

Zed’s eyes flashed with anger. He started toward Jhin, slowly closing the gap between the two of them. Other than the movement of the ninja, the world was still. Not even the arid breeze blew across the sands. Everything was perfect for a split second; no pain, no grief, no anger, no regrets.

It wasn’t until Zed’s blade struck that Jhin even realized time hadn’t stood still. The impact sent the mercenary to his knees and clouded his vision. A pathetic whimper left his lips as a hand flew up to inspect the damage. The strike was not lethal, but cracked his decorative mask and easily ripped through the under mask. Blood start to seep through the crack alerting him to the deep laceration clipping across his nose and up his forehead.

His assailant laughed, watching Jhin struggle to gather himself. “Did you _really_ think I’d make this an easy death for you? What a fool. I have full intentions on cutting you up a thousand times over and letting the beetles in this desert eat you from the inside _out_ ,” he said, throwing his foot to pin his prey down.

Jhin didn’t try to fight, complacent with every one of Zed’s movements. With a massive headache and the onset effects of blood loss, he wasn’t sure he couldn’t fight back even if he wanted to. He fumbled with his Whisper on his hip, hoping to leave lasting scars on the man above him one last time for good measure.

                Zed was much quicker than that, however, and stopped Jhin in his tracks. It was quicker than a flicker and the artist’s arm was impaled with a shuriken. The audible groan from him elicited another hearty laugh from the ninja.

“Pathetic.”

“Zed, move!” Darius’s warning dragged Zed away from his work, looking up towards his left. The ground started shaking as if an earthquake had hit and hit hard. The ninja was met with not an earthquake, but a volley of rocks heading his direction. Blinking away with a shadow, another form took his place as a half-wall of earth formed a barrier between Jhin and the other three on the battle field.

“Hey, mister, stay with me! I can get you out of here. Just, don’t move,” the new arrival instructed. It was a female, the voice. Young and excited by the sound of it. Whoever it was obviously didn’t have concern for her life.

Jhin nodded in response, although amused by the obvious instruction. It wasn’t like he had anywhere to go, anyways. Instead, he listened to the yelling on the other side of the wall. Whatever this girl had done had riled the Noxians up.

“Zed, just hop the wall with a shadow. It’s just a desert rat looking to play hero,” Draven ordered. There was a snappy remark from Zed in response, but Jhin was sure the ninja would follow on the order anyways. Draven had rushed forward to toss one of his axes into the fight.

With an audible squeak from the girl, she quickly dropped low. The ground started to shake again when her fingers graced the sand. As the rumbling shook the sand and stone, the rock-weaved wall fell and the fissures in the makeshift arena opened up. The girl turned to nose her way under Jhin’s arm and yanked him up to his feet.

Jhin hissed in pain as she dragged him towards the edge of the area that was now breaking apart. He doubted her plan as she pulled him to his inevitable death down the deep chasm. However, he was surprised as she dropped one of her hands close to the earth, giving a small hop before the stone rushed to meet their feet.

The arena fell apart just as they left it and Jhin could hear the yelling of the three men. The girl didn’t not look back and neither did Jhin. He was just happy to be stationary as his savior controlled the stone beneath them for the time being.

“There’s a woman who can help you just over the horizon. I know you must be in a lot of pain and I doubt I’m helping, but at least you’re alive, right?” His savior babbled, breaking the silence between the two of them.  

Jhin looked down at her with a huff, faintly making out her features through his failing vision. She was Shuriman and young, no doubt. Where she had come from to help in that fight, however, was beyond his knowledge. “You must be a fool to have done what you did. Do you know who that man was?”

The girl looked upset, readjusting her feet on the stone surfboard. “Ah well, no I don’t. But I saw an unfair fight and you seemed pretty hurt considering all the blood on you so I jumped in to even it up,” she answered, refusing to make eye contact with him. “But that man must have been Ionian with the way he was using the shadows to move.”

It was a surprise to Jhin that this Shuriman knew of Ionia and Ionian traits, but his head hurt too much to divulge into a personal story of this girl. He decided on a simple conversation, “Are you hurt?”

  She hesitated in answering, free hand coming to touch her shirt. The artist noticed her fingers touching an area of condensed blood and he figured it wasn’t his blood on her. It must have been a lucky shot by Draven, considering the other two were not able to get close enough. “Nothing serious, don’t worry,” she finally answered.

Jhin shook his head, hoping to settle back into silence. The adrenaline of the situation was slowly starting to wear off and the pain was creeping up his spine. He wouldn’t exactly find this girl annoying, but she was the embodiment of everything he despised at the moment and he wasn’t enthralled to be around her, even if he did owe her his life.

He toyed with the idea of killing her after all of this was over. Her skin was a pretty brown, after all, and he hadn’t gotten his hands on something as exotic as her in a long time. He was sure her bones would snap cleanly if he was careful enough. If she were to die by his hands, he owed her enough to leave her splayed out as an angel.

His thoughts were interrupted when they approach a massive boulder. Jhin was about to protest that this did not look like a house nor help until they glided around to the other side.

Carved out of the stone was a home, mined out and refined with decorative symbols and pieces of shells from the ocean and merchant wares. Alongside the house was a small, lively garden partnered with a petrified tree adorned with similar patterns and nick knacks. Green grass grew in a radius in front of the homestead, obviously grown and groomed to through magic. It was quaint and quiet and cozy for what it was worth.

The girl moved them towards the tree, working the rock they had been riding on back into the sands. She eased Jhin to sit at the base of the tree babbling on about talking to the woman who lived inside first. With that, she dashed inside and the mercenary was left alone for the first time in what felt like forever.

In his stationary position, the full force of his injuries hit him all at once. With nothing to focus on, he let out a groan and sat back against the tree. He thought about everything that had happened thus far, wondering if his servant hadn’t gotten to safety yet. He knew that there wouldn’t be a call for help for a while even if they got to one of the safe houses. At that moment, he was at the mercy of this Shuriman girl and her excitable personality.

Jhin took a shallow breath, vision filled with dark spots. Whatever this girl was going to do, she had better do it fast, he thought, knowing he wasn’t going to be conscious for very much longer. As if on cue, she walked back out with another figure behind her. She looked more concerned than she first did when she found him, he mused.

He relaxed for a moment, relinquishing to the pain and exhaustion. The last thing he remembered seeing before blacking out was that girl’s hands slowing take off his damaged mask.


	3. Lunch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The most awkward lunch in history.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't fix this, it's long and boring but I suppose important.
> 
> EDIT: I'm also playing around with ages because the lore is so ambiguous with time. Other than Taliyah being sixteen at the time during the weaver's ceremony (when she almost kills her mom lmao) and the fact that Jhin is four years older than Zed (seriously this ambiguity is ridiculous) I'm gonna go with the flow here.

Jhin’s eyes slowly opened. His body was incredibly stiff and sore. He didn’t want to even try to move, but he knew he had to; he wasn’t going to sit around in a place that he couldn’t remember getting to.

He didn’t move from his stomach for another moment or so, enjoying taking a couple deep breaths of the cool air in the room and the fluffy blankets below him. Whoever had fixed him up had done well to numb the pain of his broken ribs, even if it was only just enough. He could feel bandages shift with him. His sides and back were padded nicely and his damaged arm and forehead had been fixed with a similar job. His ankle was secured with a pressure wrap that mitigated the stress on it.

The artist sat up with a small noise of pain, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked down, noting the lack of clothing on his body. Everything but his pants had been removed, including his guns and ammo. He looked around for his things from his seat. He found his ammo and removable barrel for Whisper, armor, boots, and his decorative exterior mask sat by and on a small wooden table in the corner.

Before going to retrieve his things, he investigated the rest of the room. The room was full of a must from the hanging herbs and jars of ointments neatly organized amongst the stone shelves and wooden crates around the room. Above him hung ropes tied together similar roots and dried plants. Whoever lived here was a skill herbalist and healer. An elder of the surrounding community, no doubt.

He slid off the stone slab he had been resting on, keeping his weight off his left. Jhin gave a deep sigh, rubbing his eyes. Gods, he wished he could just go back to sleep.

With the use of some courage and will, he took a step forward, feeling his ankle scream in pain at the action. His walk was nothing short of a limp as he made his way to his belongings.

Jhin examined each of the things they had taken off of him. With no sight of his gun and clothes, he resigned himself to the fact that his hosts weren’t going to allow him to leave so easily. He picked up his mask, running his fingers over the damaged item. The crack ran up the bridge of the nose and blossomed at the forehead. Pieces were missing and would stay missing. The mask was a shadow of its old self and almost useless as a piece of wear.

However, he noticed that his hosts had taken care to clean it. In fact, they had taken care to clean everything on the table. Nothing was dirty and dull and it surprised Jhin. Such kindness was not the norm with strangers, especially when they are foreign.

He decided to leave his things until later seeing as most of his belongings were missing, anyways. He put down the mask and let himself wander to the burgundy shirt neatly folded next to his things. On top of the clothing was a note. He picked it up, reading the scribbled, but still fairly neat handwriting adorning the paper. ‘For when you wake up,’ was all it said. Dropping the paper on the table, he then ran his fingers over the fabric, pleasantly surprised that it was soft to the touch. He picked up the shirt, unfolding it and slowly worked it on. It was gentle against his bruised and battered skin.

With a grateful sigh of release, he moved to leave the room. Jhin limped down the hallway, using his hand against the wall to guide himself. As he approached the end of the hall, he was greeted with the sight of an old woman and the young girl that had saved him working alongside each other to fix the girl’s side.

Draven’s lucky hit had ripped her side open. The girl was shirtless, sat down on a stool, and leaned over her knees with her eyes trained on the floor. Many stitches pulled together her skin and a green-tinted ointment was slathered on the wound. Blood clotted at the edges and the stitching line.

Jhin felt a twinge of guilt for her pain, even if he hadn’t asked for her help. But he didn’t get hung up on it.

What he did get hung up on was her body. Her edges were soft, but not overwhelming nor uninviting. Her skin was a caramel and spotted with freckles all along her arms, shoulders, and face. The girl’s soft edges didn’t stop at just her body. Her face was well rounded and eyes big and bright. Her hair, even disheveled, fell just right to frame her bold facial features. This Shuriman girl was much prettier than most of the Shuriman population in Jhin’s opinion.

The two women were speaking in a foreign tongue. Both of them were obviously fluent in the language as there was no hesitation in answers between the two of them, although the older woman was smoother with the words.

Jhin watched from the edge of the hallway, leaning on the wall to alleviate any weight on his ankle for the time being. He waited to interrupt and let the older woman finish her work, fascinated by the skill of the craft. Medicine was something he never could understand fully. Magic fixed all, yet these healers choose to use what the earth gave them to help the sick and injured.

After clean bandages, the girl pulled on a red shirt and stood up with a smile. She thanked the woman and turned towards the hallway.

She must have not been paying attention to where she was going because she bumped into Jhin and startled herself into tripping backwards. Jhin hadn’t been paying attention either because he had been staring for so long and lost his balance for a moment. Both of them reached out for each other, grabbing each other’s wrists. Jhin ended up balancing with his left foot stretched out and right holding his weight. The girl ended up relying on Jhin to hold them both up having had little time to balance herself almost at all.

There, they were eye to eye for a couple breaths, aimlessly staring at each other. Jhin could feel his face heating up and watched the girl’s do the same. He cleared his throat, gently standing them both up on their two feet. He looked down at her and she looked up at him. It was another moment before both of them looked away.

All the while, the two had been in silence. It was the old woman who broke said silence with a quiet snort and a quick laugh.

“O-Oh, you’re up! I was just about to come and check in on you and—well, it seems like you found the shirt I left out for you. I hope it fits and everything,” the girl finally babbled, voice small and forced.

Jhin rubbed the back of his neck again, bringing his attention to the ceiling. Anywhere other than _her_ was good for him. “The garment fits fine, thank you,” he managed.

“A fine seamstress she is,” the old woman chimed in. Jhin brought his attention to her, taking in this woman’s features.

She was much darker than the young woman. Her skin was uneven in tone and blotchy like tanned leather. She was wrapped in a sari-like blue gown and had many accessories made of feathers, glassy stone, and colorful beads. She must have been the healer.

“And I assume I have you to thank for patching me up?” the artist asked, finding his composure through this old woman’s mellow spirit.

“Only the bone setting. Your savior was adamant about being involved in the healing process.”

“Oh, is that so? Then I thank both of you.” He looked to the girl again, this time with more discipline in his actions. She was still looking down. He bowed curtly, albeit with a stiffness, and smiled at her.

She looked up and smiled back. She stepped away and sat down on the floor near a setup of dishes on a colorful rug. Other than a sitting placement for three with empty plates, the dishes were filled with an assortment of foods.

None of it looked familiar to Jhin and his curiosity was starting to get the better of him, let alone his growling stomach. He looked over to the healer, a giant smile still plastered on her face. The enjoyment she was getting from all of this was grating on his nerves.

“I’ll leave you two to lunch,” the old woman said. She got up, spoke a few words in a Shuriman dialect to the girl and left the room with the remnants of the girl’s old bandages. The two of them were now alone.

Jhin shook his head before joining the girl on the ground. He sat across from her, sitting with his left leg stretched to the side and right tucked to his body. He watched her hands quickly find the food she obviously enjoyed and placed it on her plate. She didn’t touch it however, not at first.

“Take however much you’d like. All of the dishes are savory and vegetarian other than the chicken shawarma over there, if that helps,” she said.

After a second look, the artist did recognize some of the food. Although he had never been to Shurima until now, ambassadors and elites would with their chefs visit the Council and he would be sitting alongside them at mealtime if it was diplomatic business that involved killing someone to keep the peace. Things such as the chicken shawarma, hummus, rice, and bread were things he knew well.

He wasn’t a picky eater, which was one of his less meticulous traits, but he wasn’t exactly feeling adventurous when he had just nearly been torn apart by Zed and his posse. So instead he opted to take what he knew and left exploration for another day.

He took what he knew he would eat, thanked the girl, and started working through his plate. Busied with his current and slow task, he wasn’t one for conversation and didn’t pay attention to the girl. Not until she spoke, at least.

“Four.”

Jhin snapped his head up at the word, looking at her. She still hadn’t touched her plate and her bright eyes were watching him. His brow knitted in confusion.

“Excuse me?”

“Four. You do a lot of things in four. Like, you took four pieces of chicken or four scoops of rice. Oh, and you pulled your bread apart into four pieces. Even your breathing is in the tempo of four seconds.”

The artist sat silent for a moment. The girl’s facial expression did not change as they looked at each other. He could feel his face heat once more as her words sunk in. Although he didn’t deny his OCD, he didn’t exactly enjoy having them pointed out so bluntly. If it didn’t bother him so much, he would have been impressed at her attention to detail. “Yes, well, I do have a tendency to act in fours,” he answered, going back to his food.

“Why?”

This girl wasn’t one for social cues, apparently. But Jhin wasn’t going to lose his composure _again_ over this girl. “I have for a long time and I don’t remember when it started.”

She was silent for a moment, looking down at her own plate before coming back the unwelcome conversation. “What am I to call you?”

“I don’t see why it’s relevant.”

“Because a name lives in stone just as it carries on the wind. And this time I’d rather the stone say it before the wind carries it in.”

Jhin wasn’t sure what she meant by any of what she had said. He wondered if all Shuriman’s spoke like this; riddle-like and oddly paced. Clicking his tongue, he relented to her request, “Khada Jhin. And may I ask what yours is so, as you say, the wind doesn’t carry it in?”

This made her smile. “Taliyah.”

The next moment of silence wasn’t so uncomfortable. Jhin noted the girl finally started to eat, thankful to have a reprieve from the questions. He knew it wouldn’t be long just by the way this girl—Taliyah—acted.

So instead, he jumped into a question first. “Taliyah,” the name was foreign on his tongue and he knew his Zhyun-Ionian accent changed the sound of it, “I know my personal belongings and clothes were taken away from me, obviously, and I’d like to know where they went.”

“Your clothes are hanging outside. After lunch, I was going to bring them in to stitch them. And your weapons are hidden until Magdelena can trust you. She was very reluctant on helping you, but wouldn’t explain why.”

He could only imagine why. “I see. Magdelena, she is the healer?”

“Yep! She’s the sister of Babajan, my tribe’s elder.”

“Your tribe? So you’re a nomad after all. I couldn’t place why a girl of your age would be so far from home.”

“I’m not as young as you think, Khada Jhin.”

“Oh? Are you not in your late teens, early twenties? From where I’m from, that’s young enough to stay alongside your father for another five years or so.”

“You must be some sort of Ionian royalty then to believe that young Ionian’s stay alongside their family. The Great Weaver believes Her people are men and women at the age of sixteen winters. And seeing as I am almost twenty, I’m more than capable of being on my own.”

Jhin was struck by the comment. How did she know where he was from? He faintly remembered her commenting about Zed’s abilities earlier as well. “Say, you’re a Shuriman nomad, correct?”

Taliyah nodded, taking another bite of her food. “You did just say it yourself.”

He ignored her remark and continued his train of thought. “Then how do you know that I’m from Ionia?”

She hesitated for a moment, swallowing her food before deciding to speak. “My teacher is from the mountains of Ionia. He’s still there, the last time I heard from him. I spent many months there. I only came back to find my tribe.”

Jhin was surprised by this girl yet again. She had more than just a bland life as a little Shuriman girl. At least he had some entertainment during his stay here. At least this jail was nicer than Tuula would ever be. And her last question was just as intriguing as the one’s before.

“Khada Jhin, how old are you?”

“That’s an odd question.”

“Just as yours had been about my age.”

He couldn’t argue that. Sitting back, Jhin counted the numbers in his head. He had been eighteen when his father had died and started his journey through the art of the human body when he was eighteen as well. After being chased by the Kinkou order for four years, he had been locked away for only four more. Since that was two years ago (and he had sadly failed in killing both Shen and Zed in that time), that made him twenty-eight and that would be his answer.

“Twenty-eight summers, give or take a few months.”

“I see.”

The both of them were silent again and it was obvious the girl was contemplating something. Her face was riddled in confusion and a subtle pain Jhin couldn’t help but relate to. It was possible that she knew of him and that’s what she was struggling with. Jhin didn’t push the issue, however, and finished eating.

When both of them finished their meals, the same awkwardness from earlier settled in. Not only was the air thick with anxiety, Jhin could feel the medication wearing off and the burning of his broken body settle in. It must have shown on his face, because Taliyah was quick to react to the change in mood.

“You should go rest. Granted you’ve only been out for a day or two, you were hurt badly and I’m sure your body would enjoy the downtime. I’ll be in there soon with some more medicine,” Taliyah said, standing up and grabbing as many plates as she could balance. She moved towards the doorway the healer had disappeared into before the meal.

“I’m sure your body would too,” Jhin answered, stopping the girl in her tracks. He wasn’t sure what he felt for this girl (the thought of killing her after all of this still tugged at the back of his mind), but he was enjoying the gentleness she gave off and her eccentric ways. His mind must have agreed with his heart on that matter and he couldn’t stop the words tumbling out of his mouth, “you could join me in said rest.”

Taliyah turned around, eyes wide and body stiff. It took Jhin a second to analyze what he had said and he mirrored her actions. This must be one of the worst days of his life.

Oh Gods, please don’t say anything.

“We’ll see.”

Jhin couldn’t have been happier that she left the room.


	4. Why him?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What Taliyah feels about the situation isn't what Jhin feels about it.  
> Or maybe it's more mutual than they think.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a fun chapter in the beginning that goes right back to awkward 1 and awkward 2 being themselves.  
> (Seriously, drop comments on where you think it could get more entertaining because lol this story is becoming lengthy dialogue)

Taliyah couldn’t have been happier that she left the room.

This was such a precarious situation and Magdelena wouldn’t even tell her who this man was! And there was no way his real name was Khada Jhin. That meant ‘gold something-or-another’ in Ionian if she remembered correctly. Now that she had ran into him when he had just woken up, almost sent them crashing to the ground (what was with her and men?), and thoroughly enjoyed what might have been the most awkward lunch she’s ever partaken in in her life, how was she going to be able to stomach being around him?

Plus he must have been staring when she didn’t have a shirt on. And since Shuriman woman don’t agree with bras on the subject of wasting fabric, there was no barrier between her skin and his eyes. There would have been no other reason for him to be standing there without warning her where she was going and who she was bumping into. She supposed she deserved it, considering that she had seen him completely naked when they were treating his wounds (which she’d take to her grave before ever telling him).

So now she had saved an Ionian man being attacked by another Ionian and two Noxians. The guy had some weird fascination with fours, no concept of personal social interactions, and dressed like he was the biggest airhead in existence. Oh, and don’t forget he was armed to the teeth with a large gun, grenades, knives, and explosive traps that could take off a person’s head in an instant.

And then safety was an issue. No doubt the three assailants would be looking for them, but they were foreign so it’d be hard to track them here. Hopefully this man would be gone by the time they came around so she could leave, too. Then things could go back to normal for all of them.

Not only would it bring safety to everyone, Taliyah was still looking for her family. The Shuriman Capital’s walls hadn’t led to any leads about her tribe’s whereabouts and it’d been six months since then. Almost three years and she had no idea where her mother, father, and brothers were. It scared her that their faces were starting to fade from memory.

And oh boy, that conversation at lunch. If it had been any more painful on both their ends, she might have opened her mouth and inserted her foot right there. Granted, it was her fault that the conversation had started in the first place, but why did all of it have to end up being so awkward?

Both Magdelena and Taliyah were now in the kitchen connected to the dining room. The healer was sat at the countertop, counting berries and seeds. Taliyah placed all the dishes in her grasp on the surface and gave a heavy sigh. She slouched onto an empty area of it with a pout.

The healer raised an eyebrow and looked at the young woman’s actions. With a smirk, she spoke in a mocking tone, “That bad?”

“Yes!” Taliyah stood and threw her arms up in defeat, immediately regretting the decision. Pain like spikes spread across her side and with a wince, she slowly dropped her appendages and instead crossed them across her chest, “I don’t know why you want me to spend time with him. He’s so—so—”

“Weird?”

“Exactly! And you won’t tell me why or who he is or why you didn’t want to help him in the first place and yet you asked me to take care of him. If you don’t trust him, why should I? I didn’t mind fixing him, but he’s not the most personal person in the world.”

Magdelena sighed, leaning on the table with her head in her hand. “Just because I don’t trust him doesn’t mean you can’t trust me on this.”

Taliyah was pacing now. “Then tell me who he is. This Khada Jhin guy was getting beaten up and I had the whim to save him. Okay that’s fine. But then I come to you for help and it’s like I’ve stepped into the Void. What, is he some mass murderer sent as a hired gun or something? Is that who I saved?”

The healer barked a laugh. “Let’s go with that.” Taliyah frowned deeply and the old woman sighed, shaking her head, “I cannot tell you everything there is to know. I’m sworn to the secrecy of The Great Weaver until the time comes. Sometimes your destiny is set in stone and rushing into it will ruin the surprise.”

“Surprise? You’re saying somehow this weird guy is going to be any more than a mistake? Maggy, please don’t joke like that.”

Magdelena didn’t answer her. Instead, she changed the course of the conversation, “I heard the whole conversation between you two. Both of you gave up a lot of information about yourselves. For as reserved as that man first comes off, he’s pleasantly chatty when you get him going. He’s also not as old as I thought he was.”

Taliyah scoffed, scrunching up her nose. “That’s not exactly what happened I don’t think. I started the conversation and he felt obligated. And if he could have tapped out of talking to me he would have. And he’s some twenty-eight winters and that’s almost a decade older than me. He’s older than you think he is.”

“You sound dejected over a guy you just called weird. Especially after you were the one who insulted him in the first place.”

“I didn’t know he’d take offense for me pointing out his weird ways! Besides, I’m not dejected, I just expect to be treated a little better after saving his life.”

“I think he’s treated you _just_ right, desert bloom.”

Taliyah made a strangled noise of embarrassment. Her hands raced up to cover her face which pulled a laugh from the healer.

“Tali, did you really think I didn’t catch on to your drift? The way you try and pry him open. You find him interesting.” Magdelena’s voice was sing-songy.

The stoneweaver finally relented to the teasing. “Okay fine, he’s mildly interesting. Are you happy?”

“Yes, yes I am.”

Taliyah gave up, pouting again. She had to admit that he was at least slightly attractive, even if he wasn’t Shuriman. She huffed, letting her arms fall to her sides. She looked back up to her elder and gave a half smile. “I guess these things happen,” she said.

“Yes, they do. There’s no shame in admitting that. Now don’t look so upset. You still have to give him something for his pain and I’m sure he’ll ask a question or two if you look so sullen,” the healer said, jutting a thumb to a pair of cups. “The other one is for you.”

The steam rolling off the top of them could only mean a nice cup of hot tea. Taliyah nodded and, albeit hesitation, grabbed both the cups and walked out of the room.

Through the dining area, she was thankful that Khada Jhin had gone back to his room. Before continuing towards the strange man’s location, she looked down at the plates still sitting on the ground. To her surprise, the remaining dishes had been neatly placed in the middle and awaited their journey back to the kitchen. Unless a magical fairy had come through, it was their guest’s doing.

At least he was courteous.

Taliyah walked down the hallway, ignoring the giggling of the stone and the mocking remarks of the granite. When she entered the healing room, however, the loud giggles and remarks faded into echoes and whispers of both the past and present.

Khada Jhin was sat on the stone slab, wrapped in one of the quilts given to him for a better rest. With a hand on his cheek propped up by his right leg crossed over his right thigh and his eyes closed, he looked like he had fallen asleep.

She stood there for a moment, unsure what to do. If he was asleep, she didn’t want to wake him up. If he wasn’t, then she wasn’t sure if she wanted to approach him so freely. After everything that had happened, she didn’t want to react one way or the other for any situation.

She was glad that he was the one to answer her question.

“If you’re going to stand there, at least tell me it’s for a reason,” he mumbled, cracking one eye open.

Taliyah couldn’t help but notice how tired he looked. The decently composed man from earlier had slowly succumb to the pain and now needed help. His face was pale, eyes dull, and voice worn out. The Stoneweaver pitied him and wondered if he thought dying was better than living at this very moment. She decided she’d wait until he fell asleep to leave him again, seeing as he looked so awful.

“Hey, girl, are you listening?”

She blinked, pulling herself from her thoughts and mumbled an apology. She took a step forward and offered him a cup of tea. It was a silent exchange and the two continued to keep it. She sat on the floor, enjoying her own cup and the almost instant relief from the brew.

It wasn’t until Khada Jhin hesitated in taking a sip himself that he engaged in conversation. “What’s in this? It smells—sweet,” he said, a puzzled look crossing his face.

Whether it was distrust of her and Maggy or distrust of his taste buds holding him back, Taliyah was happy to answer his question to alleviate his concerns, “Birch leaf and ginger.”

“Birch? An interesting ingredient to have on hand in the middle of the desert.”

“Oh, well, trade caravans bring it sometimes or when I travelled through the Frelijord I brought a lot of it with me. I like the taste of it and I know it’s good for the body so, y’know,” she trailed off, staring at her own cup. Maybe she should leave now; another awkward conversation was not on her to-do list.

He made a noise that she couldn’t decipher. It was soft, but not malicious. Either way, she relaxed when he finally started drinking it after another small moment of hesitation. With that, the silence fell back in place.

Taliyah settled against the wall behind her, listening to the gentle vibrations of the stone. With her drink finished and pain ebbing away, she was content in getting lost in the babblings of the past. It was a nice break from the pain in her side and the confusion in her mind. The stone is always good for distraction.

She was only interrupted by the humming of the other in the room. She looked up to see Khada Jhin sitting in the same position he had been when she had come in sans the half grin on his face and the empty cup in his free hand. He had regained color in his face and his actions seemed to point towards a happier patient.

“Feeling better?” she asked. He gave a hum in response, shifting his position to lean against his thighs.

“This healer Magdelena is very talented,” he mused, still grinning.

“Yes, yes she is,” she answered, playing with the hem of her shirt. His eyes didn’t leave her and she could feel his gaze burning into her. Unlike every other conversation, he wasn’t detaching from it; instead, he was looking at her like he was waiting for her to say something else. Taliyah was starting to feel uncomfortable under his gaze. She cleared her throat, stealing a glance of him.

“So, uh, can I do something for you?” She asked, trying to avert his attention away from her. Maybe he’d get uncomfortable as well if he knew she was uncomfortable.

Khada Jhin shrugged, “that’s something I should be asking you.”

Taliyah was taken aback. “Huh?”

His grin widen and for the first time, Taliyah was slightly fearful of his presence. His presence slowly started to overtake the room’s air. Even the stone felt defensive against her body. It was something she’d never felt before, even in Noxus and the Shruiman Capital. Is this what Magdelena was hinting at? Maybe he actually was a murderer.

“Is there a reason you’re sitting on the floor, watching me?” His words were clearly light hearted as the grin turned into a warm smile. His defenses were slowly slipping away from him as the tea kicked in, she could tell. He was fluid and undisciplined and that’s what she was picking up on. This was just the medication speaking now and it made her feel better about him and his actions.

Taliyah calmed down, letting her hands lay idle in her lap. “Oh, I mean, when I first walked in, you looked terrible and I wanted to make sure you got to sleep alright. If I’m bothering you, then I can leave.”

Khada Jhin shook his head. “No no, you’re fine. I just thought that after my earlier blunders you’d be very keen on keeping contact—light.”

She tilted her head, giving him a puzzled look. He might be weird, but she’s surely not going to allow someone to sit around in pain alone if she can help it. That wasn’t her style. “Like I said, you seemed like you needed someone. And besides, you’re an odd fellow, but who isn’t at the end of the day?”

He was silent for a moment, staring at the ground. It was obvious that he was taking her words to heart. Raising his eyebrows and giving a quick nod of his head, he returned his gaze back to Taliyah with a serious but not unkind expression. “Thank you.”

Taliyah waved his appreciation off. Not that she wasn’t grateful for the recognition, he was _her_ patient for now, after all. She just wanted him to be okay and for life to move on.

“As long as you get some rest, no thanks is needed,” she said. She stretched back out against the wall, closing her eyes. Her own exhaustion was starting to set in and she wasn’t in the mood to stand up again. The Earth was just as comforting as a down-filled bed to her, anyways. Beyond that, she had promised she’d stay until he fell asleep and she didn’t go back on promises.

To her surprise, it wasn’t long until there was a shift and light footsteps drawing near her. She opened one eye just enough to watch Khada Jhin lay the quilt he had been wrapped up in over her, taking care to make sure she was tucked in as well.

“I’m not ungrateful for my life or your help, Taliyah,” he spoke, drawing her name out like it was difficult to say. His accent did butcher it, but she didn’t mind; it made it almost endearing that he was trying, “however, I’m concerned for the consequences it could bring for everyone involved, including you and Magdelena.” With that, he straightened up and walked over to his makeshift bed. He arranged it for a brief moment before lying down and falling into a strangely dense silence.

The stoneweaver closed her eyes once more, thinking about what he had said. She agreed whole heartedly and wish she could answer that question for both of them. What were the consequence of her actions? The future would only tell. Instead of getting hung up on it, she snuggled into the warm quilt given to her and completed her end of the bargain of resting her worn body.

The last thing remembered was listening to the soft snoring of the strange Ionian man in the room.


	5. Why her?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A man thinks he's in control.
> 
> A man wants without repercussion.
> 
> A man learn he's a child playing adult games.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's hard writing things that sound psychopathic/off kilter, childish/immature, but composed in some way. >>  
> This is a nice chapter.

Jhin woke up with a headache and covered in a cold sweat. His dreams weren’t the most enjoyable and it was starting to make his body hurt every time he woke up and tried to fight off the dark thoughts.

Instead, he decided against fighting his mind and body and sat up, scratching at the edges of his bandages. The gauze was starting to bother his skin and he knew it was time to get them changed. However, without the help of either of the women in the house he couldn’t exactly fix his current situation. It was late, no doubt, and seeing if the healer was up was a long shot, but he was willing to try if it helped any of his distinct discomforts at the moment.

He turned to look where Taliyah had been before he fell asleep. And she was still there, wrapped up in the quilt he gave back to her and cradled by the earth itself. Her abilities were much stronger than he first thought; she’d be the most dangerous woman on the planet if she ever recognized her full potential.

He was amused by the thought as he stood up as quietly as possibly to make sure she didn’t wake up. Her face was peaceful and her breathing was even and he knew she was having a better time than he had in a dream world. With that thought, he headed out the door.

Jhin was thankful for the dim lanterns lighting the rooms and hallways as he slowly moved through them. The healer took great care in her home and he could appreciate that kind of concern (past his lack of movement and strength making the lights a necessity for him to get around the home safely in the first place).

Interestingly enough, he found the healer outside. She was sat at the base of the petrified tree leaned over jars of what he could only imagine were herbs and medicines. It was dark and there wasn’t much light out her to work in. He walked over to her with the same curiosity from earlier. He opened his mouth to greet her, but was beat to the punch.

“I wasn’t expecting you to be up, boy, and I doubt you’ve come to watch me pack bottles,” she spoke, looking up from her work. Her grey eyes were bright and an inviting smile graced her expression.

“I wasn’t expecting to be up,” he admitted. He felt like a useless child to these strangers, especially this older woman. He was thankful for his acting lessons all through his life because he was able to keep a thin veil of strength in the first place.

She nodded and stood up. Leaving all the bottles on the ground, she gracefully moved away from the tree and past Jhin. She signaled for him to follow and he obliged, walking behind her. He was grateful that she was walking so deliberately slow to allow him to keep up with her.

Magdelena led them to the kitchen and told him to sit down on a chair near the main countertop. Jhin did as he was told and awaited instruction. She disappeared for a time and came back with many items to change his bandages.

“Take the shirt off,” she said, washing her hands in the bowl of water she brought in.

He did as he was told as he was told and carefully removed the shirt. Tossing it onto the counter, he then situated himself against the counter with his head on his arms. As much as sleep was not easy to come by, he was still exhausted and this position was surprisingly comfortable for the time being. He closed his eyes and allowed her to work without complaint.

The healer was quick to pull off the bandages around his torso. Her hands were quick and precise, but never rough. Her touches were calculated and intimate and kind. Even though she had little trust in him, Jhin could tell she wasn’t going to allow someone to fall into death’s grasp if she could. She obviously lived for this kind of work.

As she continued on, his attention span was shrinking and he found his body becoming heavy with sleep. His mind was getting fuzzy and an unconscious existence threatened to throw him back into the nightmares he was trying to escape in the first place. He shifted to try and make his position less comfortable and he received a warning from his helper.

 “Stay awake, boy,” she said, voice emotionless with focus from her work.

“Trying,” he mumbled back, trying to focus on her movements and the pain of his injuries. But he was so tired and her gentle hands weren’t helping much. Anxiety bubbled in his chest going back to those thoughts. He didn’t want to revisit old memories he’d already seen so many times over again.

The faceless people and the names that held on his tongue made his mind spin and spirit collapse in fear.

She sighed, pulling the rest of the bandages away from his upper body. She must have sensed the urgency of Jhin’s body and mind; her words were encouraging. “Then let’s chat,” she said. “Got a mother?”

He moved just enough to make sure he could speak clearly and begrudgingly opened his eyes. He wasn’t in the mood to talk about his family, but it wasn’t exactly his choice. With a deep sigh, he answered, “No. Died when I was young from Pneumonia.”

“Father?”                                                        

“Died when I was eighteen at the hand of bandits.”

“Any siblings?”

“No.”

She made a noise of distaste. It made Jhin uncomfortable to know she was judging his family and their current states. It wasn’t often that people even heard of his house name anymore. Sometimes, he wondered if his mother and father were proud of him and who he had become: the monster that was no more than an infection on the world. But they weren’t here. There judgements was no more than a mere weight of his consciousness bearing down on him. But he didn’t enjoy when other people pointed out his family problems (or in this case lack family problems). He shifted under the weight of her questions.

She laughed, reaching for a bowl of ointment. “You’re uncomfortable? Good.”

Good? This woman must be insane. “I don’t understand the reason for this treatment.”

The healer clicked her tongue and worked the ointment into the artist’s skin. He jerked away, but she steadied him with one hand. The pain was unforgiving and he internally wished that this could be over now.

“Khada Jhin,” she spoke his name with venom and it sent a shiver down his spine, “the self-titled Golden Demon who tortured the Ionian people for so long does _not_ land on my doorstep in the Shuriman desert without good cause and certainly isn’t saved without good cause, either. I know the only reason you’re complacent right now is that you need help and you know that you need help. I’m no fool, boy.”

Jhin was silent, listening to her and her anger. Her words brought resentment, but he couldn’t kill her in this state, let alone without any weapons. But she was right and he couldn’t deny that. He conceded that she held the position of superiority at the moment and allowed her to continue without objection.

“I know you’ve toyed with killing both me and Taliyah and leaving our bodies for your pursuers to find, us mangled and torn to shreds.” He couldn’t say he hadn’t. “And I know you’ve toyed with the idea of getting to know us and protecting us from your pursuers for diplomatic purposes. So, do tell, which one have you decided to act upon?”

He couldn’t say that that hadn’t crossed his mind, too. Both decisions were appealing in their own ways, but one was much more disciplined than the other by far. Keeping friends in high and low places was a chore and he disliked human interaction, usually. But the infatuation with this lifestyle was hard to ignore and so was that girl.

 “Taliyah, who is she?” Jhin changed the subject, not having an answer for her question. He didn’t notice what he had changed the conversation to the girl until the words left his mouth. A strange sense of embarrassment embodied him, but he wasn’t able to back out of the conversation now. He stared at the stone counter and traced the natural patterns in the surface. At this point, he assumed if they were going to go down this path anyways, he’d concede to his stirring feelings about Taliyah.

“A strangely lone nomad girl from the foothills of the Icathian mountains. Herded sheep all her life until her powers to move the earth blossomed. Went off the find a teacher in Noxus, didn’t work. Almost killed a guy in Ionia and he taught her how to control herself. In short,” she answered.

The story rolled off her tongue like she had practiced it a million times in secret, Jhin noted. He continued to ask questions from there. “She’s nineteen?”

“Yes.”

“A virgin?”

Magdelena laughed again, shaking her head. She switched over to bandaging Jhin, making sure they helped set his rib bones. He groaned in pain, hiding in his arms again. She was worked hard to get it done as fast as possible whispering soothing words. When she was done, her hand found his hair and worked it back into something a little more presentable than the mess it was in.

She treated him like a child and if he was any position to fight her, he’d kill her on the spot. But even with this embarrassment, part of him couldn’t shake the comfort it was getting from her ministrations. She seemed to genuinely care for his health and state of mind, even if she had no trust instilled in him.

“You need a bath,” she mused before answering his question, “Yes, as far as I know, she’s still of a virgin cloth. But I couldn’t answer that confidently. What, would her sex life taint your arts and crafts?”

“That’s not what—no, no it wouldn’t.” He rapidly regretted that train of thought. His father had been adamant about his only child, only son, having a pure wife. Jhin never knew why he held on to that wish, considering he didn’t exactly agree with it in the first place.

“Extend your arm out,” she instructed, hand ghosting his wrist. He didn’t hesitate in giving over his injured appendage. She was then pulling the bandages away like she had done on his body.

With a wince, he continued to ask questions about Taliyah. “Why’d she come back?”

“Her family and tribe. She heard that the Shuriman Capital rose from the sands and she feared for her family’s lives. Azir once enslaved all of the Shuriman tribesman and she believes he’ll do it again. Whether or not it happens is to be seen.”

Magdelena pulled away all of the gauze and assessed the wound, clicking her tongue once more and swore. She was obviously distracted by how she spoke to herself, “I knew this was a bad one. Whatever hit you was more than just a shadow object.”

Jhin looked down and could see the start of deep infection between the stitches, even in the dim light of the lanterns. It was bad, even if he didn’t have any training in healing, he could tell. Anxiety welled up in his chest and made his body tense. “What are you going to do about it?”

“Wrap it and let it heal, just like the rest of you. Monsters of the shadow feed on fear so you shouldn’t fear it and it will be okay. It is what it is,” she spoke, starting the same actions she did as with his back. Her voice was not full of worry as his had been. She seemed calm, cool, collected, and willing to calm him down, too.

He didn’t respond, turning away so he didn’t have to look at the wound nor allow her to see his worry and pain manifesting into a grimace. Just like last time, she was quick to mitigate as much of the pain as possible. It was a silent time and Jhin was glad he could take himself away from the conversation at the moment.

Taliyah was a girl with a past both complicated and mystifying. She was more interesting than the normal person and was much too appealing to kill off. She was nothing like that one woman at the Inn when he first was released from prison. That art piece was boring, drab, and uninterestingly obedient, even after he rearranged her face to look beautiful.

No, this girl was more than that and he wanted to claim her for those traits. To have someone just as interesting as she was useful working for him would be wonderful. Beside any of that, she was pretty to look at and watching her grace the halls of his Ionian home would be invigorating after a hard day’s work.

“Boy, turn towards me,” the healer said. Her hands guided him up with his own aid. She then unwrapped his forehead and observed the injury, hand cupping his chin. With a nod and a quick smile, she spoke about the nature of it, “It’s not deep, thankfully. Looks like those masks of yours saved your life.”

 He wasn’t listening to her this time. Jhin looked up at her with his blue eyes, meeting her gaze. Her old eyes were dark and commanding. It was hypnotic just how much this woman held herself firm, even at this old age. Her grey eyes held firm like fire across a clear pond and she _demanded_ respect; respect for her healing abilities, respect for wisdom, and respect for her knowledge.

“You’re nothing but a child who hasn’t had the right raising,” she finally said with a small grin. Her hand left his face and fell to the counter, shifting her weight to hold on that hand. “I wonder if that heart of yours is actually dark or just misguided.”

“I could kill you for how you’re treating me,” he retorted, but there was no malice behind his words. A woman like this isn’t made for a grand performance, he thought, she was important for other reasons. Any threat was nothing more than words at this point.

 She laughed, “But you won’t. Not unless you want that girl.”

A comfortable air fell in the room and for the first time, Jhin’s nerves weren’t hindering him from speaking to this woman. He grinned, eyes flashing. “Who says I want her? She could make a pretty piece, after all.”

“But with so much interest, I doubt you’re going to leave her body for the vultures. You’ve asked many things about her and continue to do so. I see no point in you wasting her potential like that.”

 Jhin brought his arm back and turned to lay his head back on his arms. He closed his eyes and took a breath, letting himself sink into his thoughts. This healer was right; Taliyah was more than any masterpiece he could make her into.

“Do you think she’d go with me?” he asked, falling into a regressed state of reliance. It didn’t bother him for the most part. He couldn’t remember having a mother’s love cradle him at any moment of his life, after all.

Magdelena’s hand went to play with his hair again and he didn’t fight the kind gesture this time. “No, not now. Not unless you force her, of course. But you’re not going anywhere in this state for a while. You don’t even know where you are,” she said, her words hanging in the cool, desert air, “So, why don’t you try and ask her these questions yourself instead of me and see if you can get her to go willingly.”

Her words were true to the concept and Jhin found himself felling dejected. “But you’re not going to give her to me, even if she wants to go.” That was a hard fact. He was going to have to try to earn this healer’s trust before he could even try for the girl. Owning her would be the only good thing that came out of this fiasco and it would be a very good thing.

 Magdelena was silent for a moment and the artist could tell she was thinking about the idea. She finally spoke with an undeniable amount of hesitation. “If you meet with me every night and show me your worth, I’m sure we could come to some sort of understanding,” she said, “But understand, I’m not going to allow such a perfect girl to be hindered useless by your hand.”

“And if you approve, she is mine?”

 “Only if she wants to be, boy.”

Jhin was quiet, thinking about the offer. If he took it, this girl would be hard to get, even with all of the hard work. Hell, even if the healer trusted him, there was no secure way in knowing if Taliyah trusted him and wanted to go home by his side. If he didn’t, something wouldn’t be right in his mind and soul. He _wanted_ her with all his being and his mind wouldn’t let him leave the idea.

When he finally spoke, it was with a confidence and a determination. He sat up and looked at the strong, commanding woman above him, “Deal.”

She smiled and toothy smile. Her old face seem to light with a new kind of happiness that surprised Jhin. Whatever was going through her mind was something good for the man, he desperately hoped. If not, he’d be dead by sunrise and he’d be lost to the desert.

  “Go wash up and go back to sleep,” she said, walking away to gather the supplies and remnants of the bandages. With a goodnight, she disappeared into the doorway without a trace left behind.

Jhin watched her go, still confused on where she disappeared to in this house. It was large for an abode carved into the massive stone slab, no doubt, but there was no way she could have gone. Either way, he did as he was told and searched for the bathroom after putting his shirt back on.

It didn’t take long to find and he was glad; bodily functions still existed in every man. It was a well thought-out room. Facilities on the right with a wash station next to it. A mirror hung from the ceiling and a bathtub on the left. He assumed hextech and magic dealt with the plumbing in the middle of nowhere like this, especially since magic held right outside the home as well. He didn’t dwell on the other oddities of the healer and how she ran her home.

 After relieving himself, he used the water and soap provided to wash his hands and face. It felt good to have some sort of reset for once since he got there. Relaxing and normal for just a moment is all he needed to feel better. After relishing in something as insignificant as washing his face, he turned to leave.

He was stopped in his tracks when he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. At this point, there was no walking away from the reflection that held his eye; he had to face himself and face himself proper. That’s how it worked in his mind and he had never been able to break the chain.

 Jhin’s hesitation was met with a brutal bitterness towards himself. He hated how he looked in all ways. His body, his face, his movements; that’s why his show, his performances, were about the art and not him. He didn’t want to look at the obviously insecure boy playing a man’s game. He didn’t want to see what other’s looked away from for so long. And he certainly didn’t want to look at what might stop him from gaining his prize. His father’s objections to his shy demeanor and self-hate hadn’t changed him or how he felt about himself. His father was his role model. His father’s word meant everything.

But not for this.

 His face was pale, eyes rimmed in red and blue eyes uncharacteristically dull. His cheekbones were too high and his eyes too wide and nose too sharp and lips too thin and his jaw too set. The usually well maintained stubble on his chin and jaw was starting to lose shape to the new growth. The added cut across his forehead didn’t help the matter and Jhin couldn’t help but to scorn how he looked.

 He scowled. He wasn’t meant to love himself in this manner, he supposed. Giving up, angry and defeated, he went back to his room.

Jhin’s anger melted away as he watched Taliyah sleep. He stood over her and cocked his head to the side. Even her style of sleeping was intriguing and inviting.

She was quiet and wrapped tightly in her blanket. Her face was tucked into it up to her nose and her legs were pulled up to her chest. Her breathing was deep and slow and her hair, sloppy as it was, framed her rounded face so nicely. She was happy, he mused, leaning down to move a lock of hair away from her face.

She didn’t stir and he let her be, finding a restful position himself on his bed. Curling up in a cover of his own and found himself falling asleep quickly.

“I will have you,” he mumbled, sneaking one last look at the girl cradled by Mother Earth. He let the feeling of butterflies reach his stomach for the first time since he truly thought about the idea of owning her. Something a young child would feel, he remarked, drifting back to sleep.

His dreams were full of fantastical futures and the young girl lying feet away from him.


	6. Bathing Rights

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blood, dirt, and sweat isn't exactly pleasing on the skin.
> 
> Magdelena isn't stupid, but these two are.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Too many words. Too many parts. Too many headcanons.
> 
> 2 weeks later and we're finally here with chapter 6! The next won't be as long I promise.

Waking up was hard to do that morning; she was warm and comfortable. Not only was she rested and her side feeling better, but her dreams had been eventful and fulfilling.

Full of fantastic adventures and the smell of wind and summer rains. The lands were colorful and brilliant and the birds chirped overhead and the fish swam in the rivers. The skies were colorful arrays of blues, purples, pinks, and yellows and the trees were the most beautiful shades of green.

She wasn’t alone in her travels either. Two men traveled along with her and she swore she knew both of them; their voices (as ambiguous as they were), their auras, their existences. They were the winds and the summer rains at her side, lifting her higher and farther than she has ever gone. It was so real.

So real that she thought she had been living that life forever. She wanted to live that life. Full of excitement and companionship.

Full of an undying love.

When she was pulled away from them, her heart sank in disappointment. It had been good while it lasted, she supposed. Everything was good while it lasted. Nothing ever stayed permanent or stayed good. She hated that feeling of never ending good-to-bad cycle she was in and no matter what she did, it never seemed to change.

Such is life, she conceded.

That emotion was fleeting, however, as she readjusted in her blanket. It didn’t take her long to notice that this wasn’t _her_ blanket and the smell that lingered on the quilt wasn’t _her_ smell: it was _his_.

Khada Jhin. The infuriatingly awkward and charming man who had turned out to be just as annoying as Taliyah had hoped he _wouldn’t_ have been just because she was having trouble keeping her mind and body separate and her sexual desires locked away. She was painfully aware on how long the coming weeks would be with him and bringing him back to full health if this is how she was going to feel about him. Especially since there was no way that he reciprocated _any_ of it.

But at the very moment, she was enjoying the attractive odor that he carried. It was subtle and sweet, but still incredibly strong and impressionable. Like fresh cut roses. That’s what he reminded her of and all of her senses were acutely aware of that simile.

Prickly and decisively pretty. He handled similarly, too; respecting his thorns meant being able to get as close as possible, no matter the situation or relationship. But that lent itself to learning all his thorns and prickly parts before even thinking about getting close and that was a lot of work to invest in one stranger.

Even if the advantages outweighed the investment, like she was already set on, she doubted he reciprocated any of these things. At least he smelled good and she could enjoy that while _that_ lasted.

With a long sigh, she sat up with a pout. Wow, she was pathetic. Either way, sulking in her, _his_ , quilt wasn’t going to help anything. So instead of thinking any more on it, she stood up and gave a long stretch, ignoring the stinging in her side. Taliyah was used to pain enough that it didn’t bother her too much, anyways.

She readjusted her shirt before looking towards her patient. Or where her patient would have been if he were still sleeping. But the bed was empty and the blankets were neatly folded and awaiting use at a later time. It surprised her that he was up already; his wounds were much worse than hers and he didn’t seem all that well last afternoon, either.

Speaking of last afternoon, it dawned on her that she had slept through the evening and night. A full day wasted, she grumbled to herself. Taliyah didn’t like wasting time like that. It scared her to not know what she had missed in the time she was asleep.

With a quick smoothing of her hair, she walked out of the room and towards the kitchen where she could hear running water and rustling amongst the cabinets. She was met with Magdelena sitting at the main island and Khada Jhin standing at the countertop. Both were busy and unmoved by her entrance. Curiosity was biting at her and she wondered what they were doing.

Or more like curiosity biting at her because of their guest. Khada Jhin was busy with his hands and on second look, chopping vegetables and meats for what Taliyah assumed to be lunch for later. But she really wasn’t paying attention to that past a fleeting thought.

He was shirtless with his pants hung low on his hips and it was obvious that his bandages had been changed because they were covering a smaller area of his body. Which also meant that more of his body was revealed. Which meant Taliyah was more intent on sneaking a good look.

Although she had seen his body before, she had been much more focused and worried about keeping him alive than she was checking him out. But now she had carte blanche and she wasn’t going to waste it. Everyone had guilty pleasures, she mused, and if this temporary one was hers, she was going to use it for as long and as hard as she could.

He was slightly leaned forward with all his weight on his right foot and his left crossed behind it. He was tall with broad shoulders and slender hips but none of his features were overwhelmingly disproportionate. It was obvious that he had had some sort of training in combat; light scars from weapons and friction burns were scattered against his skin, but they were small and only made his skin look even more perfect. His body was slim, but he was muscular and well put together and he looked incredibly fluid. In her opinion, he was built just right for his personality.

His skin was a milky honey peppered with pink around his shoulders and hips. Other than the newly forming marks peeking out from underneath the bandages, his hips were covered in scars that she couldn’t place right off where they could come from, but by the looks of them and how methodical they were, they made her uncomfortable and weren’t kind reminders nor memories for the man.

On the middle of his back was a tattoo of a lotus silhouette. It was dark grey and plum colored and beautifully ornate, even with the damage done to it by the burns dominating his skin. Even with the imperfections, the design was still beautiful and there was no doubt of what kind of flower it was.

His jet black hair was slicked back just enough to keep it somewhat neat and he was quietly humming like he had been last afternoon.

The same tune, the same melody. It seemed to calm and keep him happy. It was an interesting ditty that was as much soothing as it was invigorating.

She was only pulled from her indulgence by a sharp jab to her thigh. She jumped and turned, faced by the older, and thoroughly amused, woman.

“If you’re going to stare, at least do it subtly,” Magdelena whispered in her ear, a big grin plastered across her face.

Taliyah blushed, ashamed that she was caught. Why was it always the healer who caught her in these things? With a whine, she scrunched up her nose. The stoneweaver didn’t even have a chance to respond, either, as the healer started a conversation with both of them right off the bat.

“So,” she spoke, voice filling the room, “Jhin has been here for almost a week and although we’ve all been diligent in taking care of hygienic needs, I think he needs a nice warm bath. And I think it’s going to be your job to help, Taliyah.”

What?! No way. No, this is not going to happen. Magdelena was _not_ going to force her to do this. He was _unconscious_ the last time she saw him without clothes and he didn’t know that he’d even been naked in her presence in the first place. Now she had to do it without all of those covers?

Taliyah turned towards the elder with anger and disbelief in her voice. She spoke in the Icathian dialect both of them knew well and aired her grievances. She prayed to the Great Weaver that he didn’t know how to speak the dialect, too. “What do you mean me? There’s _no_ way I’m going to do that! This is just cruel.

“ _You_ found him therefore he’s _your_ responsibility. Besides, I doubt he’d want a sixty-something wintered woman helping him when he has a perfectly young woman willing and ready to help,” the healer retorted. The answer was snappy and witty, but in no way not serious.

“He’s not some lost puppy, Maggy. He’s a _man_ and—“ She was cut off by a click of the elder’s tongue.

“He’s a _boy_ and you shouldn’t be acting like a _child_ who’s just now learning the difference between body parts. He’s going to hurt himself if he does it alone and I’m sure he doesn’t want to stay any longer than he has to,” Magdelena growled. She sat back and crossed her arms, looking towards the man in question who was still disciplined in finishing his task.

With a smile and a long moment in between, she looked back at Taliyah and continued to speak in the Icathian dialect. “You know, he hasn’t objected to you being there and he’s the one who’s going to be naked.”         

Taliyah rolled her eyes and begrudgingly mumbled a defeat, “fine, whatever you want. I’ll help him.” Her surrender was quiet as she stood up from her seat and crossed her arms, awaiting instruction.

“Are you almost done, boy? I’d like to get you clean sooner than later,” Magdelena said, changing back to the general Runeterran language all regions were taught.

“Just a moment,” he replied, throwing the ingredients he’d been preparing and threw them into a nearby pot sitting on the counter. He washed his hands in a basin near the pot and dried them on a nearby towel. He turned around and leaned up against the edge

Taliyah could have sworn she could see an oddly shy smile ghosting his lips. But she was bad at reading people and she didn’t want to assume anything. Instead she keep her looks fleeting and walked in the direction of the bathroom. Part of her was hoping somehow he’d get lost along the way.

She didn’t look to see if he was following because she didn’t expect him not to be. He’d be there if he wanted to be there, she assured herself, and partly wanted him not to follow.

He had, however, and he was seemingly incredibly apathetic to the situation. He was neutral on this task and she just wished he’d sway to being excited (as creepy as that would be in her opinion) or uncomfortable (which she could completely understand) so she knew how to react. Neutrality added to her anxieties and nervousness about this.

When they reached the room, she stopped to look up at him. He was slightly slouched and stood against the doorway and keeping weight off of his left ankle. He looked tired and messy; much more than Taliyah would have liked to see. Maybe the bath would help some of that, the messy part at least.

“So, how’d you like to do this? Would you like me to leave the room and come back when you’re comfortable or do you need help changing?” she asked as calm and collected as she could.

“There’s no need for you to leave the room. I’m not new to having a woman see me without clothing, my dear,” he spoke with a smooth and even tone and the way he said _my dear_ in that slow drawl that Ionians liked to coin in sticky situations (the same way he said her name) made her hands tingle. He was obvious messing with her–there was no way he wasn’t.

Taliyah was an absolute jittery mess.

“Alright,” she managed, moving over to the bathtub to run the water warm. She kept her eyes trained on her task and her task _only_. It was a nice excuse to pay attention to anything else other than the man in the room.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t seen a man naked before Khada Jhin. In fact, she’d seen most of her tribe’s men naked; it wasn’t taboo to see each other’s bodies. It was generally accepted to wash with your group of peers, no matter who they were and what kind of equipment they had. In larger tribes and major cities, it mattered religiously that men and women bathe apart, but small tribes had no reason to detach from each other like that. It was dangerous to be alone in the vast desert.

But this wasn’t either of those situations. Nigh religion nor personal history lie between them. This man wasn’t someone she really knew and wasn’t someone that she found herself indifferent to. His voice was smooth, his face was pretty, his body was stunning, and his smell drove her _insane_. And now she had to look at him naked for an extended amount of time and she wasn’t exactly sure how much self discipline she actually had.

He was the worst and he didn’t even know it.

She could hear him shifting behind her and, with all her strength, stayed focus on the running water and the filling of the metal bathtub. Thankfully, the water felt good on her fingers and distracted her from her problem.

She started to envy him for his ability to take a bath at that moment. Although she could take one right after him, her impatience was nipping at her heals and it took all of her control not to splash around like a young child during the rain seasons.

Taliyah wasn’t good at control when it came to these things and gave in to her desires and decided to splash around a little, although quietly. Water was just as pretty as stone and always had been in her opinion. It ebbed and flowed just like the earth itself and demanded just as much respect as a raging forest fire.

Amused by her own antics, she had almost forgotten the whole reason for her drawing the bath in the first place. It wasn’t until the man in the room cleared his throat to gain her attention did she realize what she had been doing.

Khada Jhin had been watching her, she figured, considering just how comfortable he seemed to be, crouched down and leaned up against the edge of the bath. There was curiosity and a childish playfulness in his face that made his blue eyes dance and sparkle. If it weren’t for his attention being trained on her , she was sure he’d join in on the activity.

“Are you sure you’re almost twenty? You don’t ever act like it,” he mused, fingers ghosting the water. He seemed to be mocking her and she could feel the judgement rolling off his tongue.

Taliyah didn’t answer, dragged back to the situation at hand. Embarrassed that she had gotten caught _again_ , she stood up quickly and looked away from both the bath and the man. “We should get your bandages off,” she mumbled to quickly change the subject.

Oh man, she was just the _most_ put-together and calm person she’s _ever_ met in her _life_.

He smiled up at her and shook his head (she just happen to catch from the corner of her eye), “I’ll stay like this. You wouldn’t be able to reach them if I didn’t.” He turned back to the water, dipping his fingers in slowly and playing around just as Taliyah had done a moment earlier.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes. Embarrassment turned to irritation as she debated both of his comments in her head. First, she wasn’t _that_ short, and even if she were, chairs exist for a reason! Second, didn’t he just call her childish for doing what he was doing right _now?_ She didn’t react to it past mentally scolding him back and continued on her given task.

She leaned down to undo the wrappings, listening to the gentle movement of the water. It was nice, both the sounds of silence and the lapping liquid made this experience a little less stressful. In fact, she was sure if it had been anyone she knew involved in this situation, she would be happy to do this. It would be an enjoyable experience. Her hands stilled, lost in sad thoughts.

Why couldn’t he be someone she knew?

But he was him and she was her and the whole ordeal was more awkward than a teenage love story where both of them end up leaving their family’s care just to find themselves stranded in the middle of the desert without food, water, or shelter. One of those stories that her female peers always spoke of and ogled over like it was somehow a way of life to try and struggle out in the dunes alone. To end up hating each other so much that the love itself was nonexistent and the only reason the two of them were together was a baby and a mule that neither wanted to give up (the mule, that is).      

She never really liked love stories. They never made sense to her. But she blamed that on her parents. Her mother loved her and her father loved her, but they didn’t love each other and never once did past her first brother’s birth. The eldest born was the heir to the tribe and that’s all that mattered to anyone, especially Taliyah’s father. Even when three more boys were born, there was no life in her mother’s eyes the elder’s would say when they tell the tales before Taliyah’s time. Anything that she thought her husband was didn’t exist any longer and she was never once invigorated by the thought of another child.

It wasn’t until Taliyah came along did she smile the same way she had before her first born. Taliyah was hope. Taliyah was strong. Taliyah was something more than a Shepard’s girl, Babajan had predicted. She was more than the Chief’s daughter. She was more than a depressed woman’s light.

These were things Taliyah didn’t want to face. Her mother’s love for her, although genuine, was based off the lack of love for her husband and children’s father.

And her eldest brother’s resentment of Taliyah’s birth and the love their mother only gave her had led to his anger turning into punishments he dished out on people. On her, more specifically. That was the worst part of all of it, in her opinion. She was hit and wrestled out of envy and jealousy and that fear cultivated by the incidents lasted for so long. She hadn’t asked to be born, but she didn’t sit on that idea for too long.

So when Taliyah did find someone, and most likely a man, what was stopping that relationship from being exactly what her parent’s relationship turned out to be? Would she be hurt over their own anxieties and insecurities? What made the inevitable different from before or even after? Would love and intimacy be there after they had a child? These were all questions that plagued Taliyah’s mind when it came to any sort of relationship, platonic or romantic.

Maybe it was better that she and Khada Jhin didn’t know each other.

There’d be no heartbreak from rejection, no anger from lies or truths, and no separation anxiety if they did become friends, or even more than friends. And if they became more than friends, there would be nothing stopping him from punishing her in the ways her eldest brother did or inheriting her father’s standoffish attitude. Nothing would make her heart hurt if they stayed strangers, other than the small nagging feeling of the unknown, but that happened with many things and she could deal with that.

Why was life so complicated?

His hand brushed against hers and she blinked, pulled out of her thoughts by the touch. Brow knitted in worry and lips pursed in a thin line, Khada Jhin was staring up at her with blatant concern. Taliyah shook her head and mumbled an apology. She tried to continue to remove his bandages, but he stopped her with a hold on her wrist. He was quick, but he was gentle and it wasn’t a dangerous action (although Taliyah still jerked back with a whimper).

“I assume your stall isn’t over my lack of clothes,” his tone was light, but even with the joke at hand, he was incredibly serious. This man cared to some extent, at least.

“It’s nothing. Just lost in a thought is all,” she responded, hoping it would keep her from having to explain herself.

           He was silent, still looking up at her. He was watching her and all her movements, she could tell, and Taliyah was giving up nothing. She didn’t want to blurt out all that ran through her head. She could to this man, in an instant. But that was weird to do and she didn’t want to make him any more uncomfortable than he probably was already.

Khada Jhin let go of her wrist and turned back around after what seemed to be forever. He seemed to have given up on the conversation. She went on to take the rest of the bandages off and abandoned them in the corner of the room, glad that there was no conversation between the two of them for that moment.

 It wasn’t until she came back that she had to face her anxiety. 

She turned to see the man stand up and stand chest to chest with her. Suddenly, his height was impactful and intimidating and she understood just what he meant by not being able to reach the bandages. She was sure he topped out at almost six-foot four and there was no denying that his presence was commanding to say the _least_. Her height of five-foot six did not compare to his towering presence and she was aware of just how small she was.

She’d never seen him with perfect posture in her presence before; not toe to toe like this. She had to look up hard to meet his eyes and it was such an odd feeling. Even without his clothes on, somehow it didn’t discredit the intimidation no matter how much she wanted it to. She wasn’t scared, not really, but she knew she would be in trouble if he wanted her to be. To be pressed between him and the stone floor, trapped and conceded to his bidding.

 And it was incredibly exciting.

It was, until he raised his hand quickly from his side and Taliyah’s heart lurched. Men had raised their hand to her before and she knew just how hard they could hit. And if he was coming up to hit her, he wasn’t going to be shy about it. Instinctively she flinched away and shut her eyes, waiting for the pain to blossom across her skin.

His hand gently pushed back a lock of stray hair from her face and he made a noise of distaste. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him again. Taliyah’s confusion was clear as day and Khada Jhin could only shake his head with a look of pain on his face.

His hand settled on her cheek and it was warm and comforting and smelled like the rose scent that her blanket that was so much of _him_. Whatever was running through his mind wasn’t anything like she’d experienced with him so far; he was caring and gave no barrier between his actions and emotions at that moment. The two of them stood like that for a while and all her complaints about helping him melted away.

This wasn’t an awkward standoff like she had predicted. No, it was a mutual way to get to know each other. It dawned on Taliyah that maybe this man wanted to get to know her, too. Maybe she should have given him more credit.

“Is that why you stopped moving earlier? Do I scare you?” he finally asked, lowering his hand from her face. The lack of contact made her sad and part of her wanted ask for it back. But other things were more important this time. He thought he was in the wrong on something, what she didn’t know, and he certainly was not.

“No! No, you don’t scare me,” she answered hastily, keeping her eyes trained up at his face. She smiled in an attempt to soothe his worries. He didn’t seem convinced and with a sigh, she relented. There was no running away from her thoughts this time around. But she wanted something in return; if he was going to know things about her life, she wanted to get to know about his, too. “Look, just get in the tub. I’ll tell you everything I’m thinking as long as you answer my questions along the way.”

Khada Jhin stared down at her, expression unreadable. With a nod of his head and no words spoken, he turned and did as she had said.

She grabbed a washcloth from the vanity and the stationed stool from the corner and made her way back over to her patient. When she returned, he was situated comfortably in the bath and awaiting her arrival. He was leaned against the edge of the tub and his arms were propped up against the tub and his feet were kicked up against the edge of the tub.

Taliyah sat down and wet the washcloth and the soap. She worked the items in her hands for a moment before placing the soap in the dish connected to the tub. She was gentle when she brought the lathered cloth to his skin and began to clean him. He didn’t move and he didn’t complain, so she assumed that he was content with how she was treating him.

“Who gets the first question?” Khada Jhin asked, gaze focused on the water.

“I’ll let you ask first,” she answered with a moment of hesitation. She wasn’t ready for this confrontation, but she couldn’t back out of it now.

He hummed in response, tilting his head back just slightly to look up at the ceiling. He was careful in choosing his words, Taliyah could tell. He wanted his first question to be good and she had a feeling she knew what it would be. It was another long moment before he finally spoke, “What man hit you?”

Taliyah winced. She shifted her weight slightly and gave a heavy sigh. She hated discussing her past when it wasn’t happy. Yasuo was a happy memory. Her mother and father’s love for her was a happy memory. Her brief adventures through the Freiljord, Piltover, and Zaun were decently happy memories. Even first being introduced to the stone and its powers was a happy memory, even if it had hurt a lot when she had fallen. But what he was asking for was not a happy memory and that made her nervous.

“My eldest brother did a lot. And my father once, but that was more of an accident than anything else. When my brother was born, my parents stopped loving each other because their job was done. They had a heir to the tribe and that’s what mattered most. But when I was born, my parents found love for each other again. They _finally_ had a daughter, after four sons,” she mumbled, keeping her gaze trained away from his face.

He was judging her already and she didn’t want anymore of it to seep into the conversation. Besides, he had this pity in his eyes that made her stomach turn in a way she’d never experienced and she hated it. He had so much impact on how she felt and it was starting to weigh on her mind.

Khada Jhin didn’t say a word as she spoke. Taliyah was sure he’d be critical on the situation and express just how stupid she was for allowing it to happen. His silence was absolutely deafening.

As much as she didn’t want to admit it, she felt like she deserved to be punished over this. Her oldest brother was the heir to the tribe and the most special child. He should have been the pride and joy of the family. But he wasn’t and it was her fault, even if she had done nothing more than become one of the Great Weaver’s works. Being born was the greatest burden on her brother and therefore she deserved to be treated as so.

“And you thought I’d hurt you?” he said, running his hand through his hair, still looking up at the ceiling.

“To be honest, I’m not singling you out as a threat, but yes, I think any man would hit me if I had done something wrong. And by the way you acted when I stopped taking off your bandages—” she trailed away from the idea with a shrug. Saying the words made her chest hurt.

He picked up where she left off, “That you had done something wrong and I was willing to punish you for it.” His voice was hard and his tone flat. He was obviously irritated with her assumption.

“Well, I-I mean, yes.” She stumbled over her words, stopping her work for a moment to retrieve the soap and lather the washcloth again. That pain her chest from the words bloomed and she couldn’t say that she didn’t want to cry at the moment. But that would make it worse and he’d feel bad for being angry even when it was a reaction that was expected from such an assumption.

Khada Jhin clicked his tongue. With a shift of his left ankle, biting wince, and an aggravated sigh, he expressed his opinion on the matter, voice laced with anger, “If I _truly_ wanted to hurt you and if your brother wasn’t a _fucking fool_ , I’d be much more inclined to have your trust and break it rather than conditioning you to _expect_ it.”

Taliyah was was taken aback by his words and how much conviction he had behind them. It was also the first time she had heard such venom and disgust in his words. He was emotionally attached to the situation already and it surprised her.

But the way he spoke about what he would have done made her nervous. Was that his plan? To have Magdelena and her trust him and use the two of them? She furrowed her brow and, for the first time since this whole experience started, caught his gaze and held his attention with a light touch to his wrist. “Would you do that to me? Have me trust you and then break it?”

His answer was immediate. With a curt laugh and a shake of his head, the malice eased from his voice, replaced with a warm and comforting, albeit sad and slightly nervous tone. “No, never. I like you too much to do that. Out of anything I say, _trust_ me on that one.”

Taliyah gave a small smile and the worry melted from Khada Jhin’s face. If she gave him the benefit of the doubt, at least she knew he wasn’t going to up and leave one night and leave her guessing on what happened to him. Or silently murder the women in the house in the middle of the night. She wondered what he considered ‘liking’ her and the definition of that feeling, but left that for another time.

“I think it’s your turn to ask me a question,” he said, turning back to stare at the ceiling.

“Oh, right,” she started, going back to washing his smooth skin, “the scars on your sides. They look painful.” She made a motion with her hands directing towards his hips.

“They were.” His response was heavy and it was obvious to Taliyah that she had hit a nerve, just like he had with her a moment ago. He was going to be hesitant and she was patient and the two of them waited in silence for the answer.

Taliyah didn’t blame him for being against telling her. And physical scars held more emotion than emotional scars, especially since they led to more than one kind of pain. And with as many scars as there were littering his complexion, something had plagued his body and mind much longer than she could even imagine.

“When I was growing up, they were punishments, kind of like your brother’s to you. Any time I made a mistakeーhe’d一cut my skin to remind just how much of a,” he paused, taking a deep breath and with a shaky exhale, “failure I was. I had to be perfection. And since I had the choice on the place I’d be punished and, at the time I didn’t believe that I’d ever be loved or make love to someone, it was the easiest place to hide my shame for not being like he wanted.”

“Who was he?”

Khada Jhin’s hesitation didn’t go unnoticed and his disengage from the question even led Taliyah to believe that whoever ‘he’ was had been close to the man in front of her. “Don’t get me wrong, I loved him very much and he cared for me just as much as he loved me. He was just—”

Taliyah stopped him there. Her curiosity was trumping her courtesy and she blurted out something that she wished she could take back immediately. “Khada Jhin, that wasn’t my question.”

He gave a sighed again and she started to think that maybe this was too painful of a subject for him. With a small smile, his hand came up to tap on Taliyah’s, asking for comfort. She was intrigued by the action and she didn’t argue, giving up him her hand.

His fingers interlaced with hers and she was suddenly all too aware of the fact that he was _holding her hand_. Taliyah was trying desperately to ignore the butterflies in her stomach and the tingling in her fingers. He was touching her intimately and she was baffled on why he was lending such vulnerability to her.

Staring at her fingers and keeping his eyes away from her face, he answered her, “That’s not my name, you know. That’s the name my father gave me after my mother died. Because he thought I had been a curse on his little family of two. And just maybe if I learned not to be a curse, then my significant other would not die like my mother did,” he was quiet, as if he were afraid that someone else might hear what he had to say. His eyes were cast down and his face was twisted into a sad smile.

As he spoke, it slowly dawned on Taliyah that all of Khada Jhin’s quirks were based solely on his father and what his father did to him. His anxieties, his oddities, and his fears were created off a man with a vendetta against the world and that made her heart hurt. Everything his father did had made him a man of burden and fear. He wasn’t as strong as he first came off (albeit still durable and level-headed) and whatever the reason for his mysterious ways, it couldn’t be any worse than what had been done to him in the past.

Khada Jhin was a man of more than his own motives and she couldn’t help but feel guilty for judging him so quickly. “I’m sorry I forced you to tell me,” she said.

Khada Jhin laughed and Taliyah was confused. Why would he laugh at something like that?

“By that logic, I’m sorry about forcing you to tell me about your brother; but I’m really not.”

She furrowed her brow. What was he talking about? And why wouldn’t he be sorry about something that could have hurt her just like she hurt him.

“Because,” he answered her question in only a way, as she was slowly starting to understand, he could, “I wouldn’t know what bothers you or not and where my boundaries should lay. I know more about you and what makes you sad. So, if I avoid doing those things, we shouldn’t have a problem, now will we?”

His logic was impeccable and annoying and correct, as much as she didn’t want admit it. If that’s really how it worked with him, then she was terrified of what he’d do if he found out what made her happy.

She didn’t answer the rhetorical question. Instead, she stood up and moved to look at his back. Her hands were gentle as she leaned him forward just enough to get a look at the burn.

It hadn’t been deep at all and she was thankful that it was nothing more than a nuisance for them to keep clean and bandage. His clothes had taken the brunt of the damage, even if the wound had been a bloody mess when she and Magdelena had first gotten to it. Although it was minor, it was still a burn and infection was still a very real possibility.

She was careful around the newly healed skin. She could feel his muscles twitch under her touch and she couldn’t help but be amused by how toned he actually was. He cared about his figure, obviously, and he was no pushover when it came down to physical strength. There was no contesting that he would be more than capable of hurting anybody he wanted to.

And she was sure his hands could be just as secure and safe as they were dangerous (just as she had experienced earlier). He could do what he wanted to somebody and that sent a shiver down her spine. He was was so much more than the average man and that was so _exciting_. Even if she never saw him again after he was healed, she happy to know that these were memories she wouldn’t forget easily, maybe even never.

Taliyah shook her head. Wow, she was embarrassing, even to herself.

When she finished with his back, she moved back to her seat and held out the washcloth. He gave her a look and she flushed, forgetting that she would have to explain her thought process.

“I’m sure you’d like to take care of your more personal areas yourself,” she mumbled, staring at the ground. She was expecting some sort of sly comment, but he said nothing and grabbed the cloth from her hand.

It was silent, sans the lapping of water against the tub, and Khada Jhin did as he was told. Taliyah, grateful that she wasn’t being scolded for acting like a child (just learning the difference between body parts) went to grab shampoo and the pile of clothes, towels, and medical supplies sitting at the door, placed just so carefully and concisely that it could only be the house owner’s doing.

It was obvious that Magdelena had set this whole thing up and it irritated Taliyah. If she and Khada Jhin were meant to be friends, then it would naturally progress into said friendship. If she just left it alone, things wouldn’t be so awkward. Or, maybe they’d be just as awkward, but less confrontational. Less confrontational would be nice, she admitted. Although, with as clashing as their personalities were, maybe it would be the same way no matter what.

All these ‘what ifs’ were starting to make her head hurt.

She opted away from her thoughts and brought over the pile of things for Khada Jhin. She found him finished with his task and stretched out comfortably in the bathtub with his arms crossed over his chest. He was enjoying the warm waters, no doubt, and the small smile dancing on his lips told her so. “I think it’s your turn to question me,” he chimed.

Taliyah gave a hum in response, sitting back down on her stool. She dropped the pile next to her and kept the bottle in hand. She uncorked the glass bottle and poured a dollop of the homemade soap into her hand. She spread it between her fingers and reached out to mused her hands in his hair.

His reaction was immediate and visceral. He gave a deep sigh and sunk lower into the water and it made the stoneweaver grin. She leaned into her work, receiving a big smile from the other. He was cute like this, she mused.

“I’d like to think that the tattoo on your back is an interesting story,” she said, “care to share it?”

“Of course,” he answered. It was obvious an easier topic of conversation for him and Taliyah was glad that the mood could stay light, “I’ve always loved lotus blooms and Jyom Pass was full of them. It’s close to where I grew up and my aunt took me there all the time. Their petals are always in such attractive patterns when they grow. And since everyone should have something that represents them, why not it be my favorite flower?”

She contemplated that thought for a moment and it made her smile. A man who had a favorite flower and wasn’t afraid to identify with it; this man odd to say the least. Taliyah was starting to doubt his sexuality at this point. He was incredibly effeminate, even if he was commanding and strong. It interested her, but that was a conversation for another time.

“I see,” she responded, still lacing her fingers in his hair. It was overkill to continue to work on him, but she enjoyed seeing him relax and genuinely happy. He seemed like he needed more of this in his life.

“I must ask,” he started, “your ability to move the earth, has it been with you all your life?”

She was starting to enjoy this back and forth questioning. “No. They developed when I was about fifteen. I went to go save one of the tribe’s sheep and the wall I was climbing fell away with me, but I wasn’t hurt—well not badly anyways. After that, my tie to the earth grew and grew.”

“And you had to leave your tribe to learn to control it?”

“Well, nobody had ever seen it before, so of course I wasn’t going to subject them to my inexperience. It wasn’t all bad, though. I wouldn’t have met Yasuo or others if I hadn’t found my bond to the earth.”

Khada Jhin’s expression was one of interest. He opened one eye and looked at his helper. “Yasuo?”

The name rolled of his tongue so perfectly, it made Taliyah’s heart skip a beat. To hear her friend’s name said just as Yasuo himself would made her happy. It had been months since she had heard anyone say it right.

“My teacher,” she responded. She missed him dearly. More than she wanted to admit. She hoped he’d be finished with what he was doing in Ionia and come to live with her, wherever she wound up. That way, she’d never truly be alone, even if she was travelling alone. She always could come back to him and his sardonic attitude (which was more of a defense than anything) and genuine care for her. She dared to say that she loved Yasuo.

“Interesting. That's an ancient Windwalker name that I haven’t heard since the tragedy of the Noxian invasion.”

She started washing the suds from Khada Jhin’s hair, doing her best to keep it out around his face. It wasn’t long until the soap was gone from his hair and she had finally finished her task completely. “A Windwalker? He did use the wind when he and I were attacked at an inn,” she ambled through her thoughts aloud.

It wouldn't surprise her if that's what he was. Yasuo lived and died by the blade with the wind following wherever he went. It carried him in every step he took and every response he had to situations. And he always did smell of a spring breeze and a flask of sake (she could do without the latter).

“Okay! I think we’re done here,” she said, leaning away from the man and standing up.

He clicked his tongue in response and gave a huffy sigh. With a long moment of hesitation, he moved to stand. His actions were careful as to not splash the now dirty water everywhere and Taliyah was grateful that he minded himself with even the smallest of things.

The stoneweaver picked up the towel and clothes from the floor and handed them over to Khada Jhin when he had stepped out of the tub. She received a smile and a thank you from him.

When he was dry, she had him put on his underwear and sit down so she could rebandage his injuries and stabilize his ankle. It didn’t take long and she wasn’t surprised at the progress of his healing (other than his arm which she silently found herself worrying over) and spent no longer than she had to fixing him up.

As he went off to change and apply the given antiperspirant after she dismissed him, she went to drain the tub. She watched all the water run down the drain and wondered how something that she had dreaded in the first place turned out to be as enjoyable as it was. But she wasn’t complaining.

She was shaken from her thoughts when she heard the other in the room laugh. She looked over to see him dressed in loose pants that again sat low on his hips and a black, long sleeve shirt. His hair was tussled and unsmoothed and his eyes bright. Confused and curious, she opened her mouth to speak, but he beat her to it.

“Magdelena has a _sick_ sense of humor,” he chided, shaking his head and holding another set of clothes and a towel in hand.

Those were _her_ clothes.

Taliyah groaned, covering her face with her hands. Did she really have to go a _round two?_ A round two that involved _her_ being naked and _him_ washing her. There was no way she was going to do this.

“No way,” she said, throwing her arms across her chest, “this isn’t the same situation.”

“She seems to think so,” he responded. He walked over and placed the pile next to the stool. He was once again towered over her and she had to crane her next to meet his eyes. She was also very aware of the natural smell he carried and just how _fresh_ it was.

He was _so_ alluring.

He didn’t seem uncomfortable as she was sure she did. She couldn’t be in that state of vulnerability with him, it wasn’t the same. He had the upperhand that way and that scared her. Taliyah hadn’t known this man for more than maybe a shortened week and she didn’t understand what Magdelena was up to.

It was like a sick twist on a good time.

“It’s not the same. Besides, the only reason I helped you was so that you didn’t pull any of your stitches.”

She wasn’t going to consent to this.

“As cruel as I think it is to pull the rug from out under you like she has, your side looks no better than my wounds and I’m sure if those stitches break, they’re not exactly fun to fix.”

“I’m careful enough to do it myself.”

Careful _wasn’t_ her middle name.

“Are you sure?”

She really wasn’t.

Taliyah started to doubt the scenario on two fronts. She didn’t want to get in trouble, but she also didn’t know how this would go. She wasn’t ashamed of her body (most Shuriman’s find the comfortably soft belly cute to some extent), but she wasn’t exactly sure how Khada Jhin would respond to her body. He was _Ionian_ after all and most Ionian woman kept small, trim, and lithe. Taliyah was only small in height.

“Let’s just try it,” he soothed, touching her wrist like she had for him, “if it’s too uncomfortable I can sneak out and hide somewhere until you’re finished. Everyone will be happy. Trust me on this.”

The stoneweaver chewed on that idea for a time, teeth grazing her lower lip in thought. Maybe it could work out in some fashion. And he offered to leave if anything. At this rate, it was all up to how she felt, what she wanted to do, and she liked that idea.

With a deep sigh, she nodded and he gave a smile.

“I’ll draw the bath.”

Taliyah slid away to remove her clothes, careful to keep her back turned to Khada Jhin. She could hear the water and she could hear him humming to himself. He seemed content enough and she wondered if he minded returning the favor like this. It all came down to how he thought she looked, she thought.

When she turned around, he had finished with his task and was crouched next to the tub like he had when they first started. But this time he was fully clothed and she was not. She was all too aware of the situation and it took all her confidence not to bolt out the door (even if she was naked; other clothes existed for a reason).

She walked over and he didn’t move, still staring at the water. She expected him to look up, but he hadn’t and she was concerned that maybe he had changed his mind on this. Anxiety tightened her chest and fear made it hard to breathe.

This was a bad idea.

He stood up and finally looked at her, hair still mussed and eyes still bright. It didn’t seem upset and the small smile on his lips made Taliyah feel a little better. After rolling up his sleeves, he extended his hand to her and she took it, knowing he wanted to help her into the bath. With an arm over her chest she stepped in.

She was quiet getting in, feeling much more comfortable when she was submerged in the warm and inviting water, although she kept her breasts concealed. She watched the ripples move through the clear water and stretched her toes out. This was nice.

“You don’t have to be embarrassed, you know,” he spoke, sitting down on the stool and grabbing the soap and washcloth. His voice broke the tension like a knife snapping a taut string, “I’m not going to judge you.”

“All humans judge,” she responded quickly, “it’s okay if you do. I just hope it’s a positive opinion.” He laughed and she furrowed her brow. She couldn’t understand how he was laughing at what she said. Didn’t everyone hope for positive opinions?

“It’s child’s play to care about such things, my dear,” he answered. Deep confusion settled in her bones, but she didn’t argue with him or his logic. Instead, she opted to try and continue to ask questions, using the silence to think about a good topic of conversation.

The warm, soapy washcloth touched her arm closely followed by his other hand and she shuddered. It wasn’t an uncomfortable feeling to have his hands on her. Albeit the obvious roughness from age and calluses, his fingers were soft and much gentler than she expected them to be. His motions were concise and methodical, but nothing she couldn’t enjoy.

Comfort slowly overrode self consciousness and she gave a small sigh of relief. He chuckled and she she smiled. Maybe this wasn’t so bad, after all.

“Do you have any family?” she asked, arms slowly fall to her side.

“No. Not immediate, anyways. Both my parents are dead,” he answered. He sounded sad and Taliyah knew how he was feeling, to some extent. She knew what it felt like to be alone and wishing for company, “I have an uncle from my father’s side that took care of my for about a year after my father’s death.”

“No grandparents?”

He laughed. “They were killed during the Noxian invasion. Along with any other close family I cared about.”

“Oh.”

Her mind screamed out against the idea. She was supposed to be a weapon at the hands of these Noxians. She was supposed to destroy people from the Ionian lands. And when she refused, they had tossed her overboard and left her drown.

She had been thankful that she had lived, and she met Yasuo, but it always weighed on her mind that the people she was supposed to kill were still dead even if it weren’t by her hands. But it had always been such a distant problem to her. She had been sixteen and so full of herself that it seemed just pathetic nowadays.

“You must have been here when the invasion was at its peak, if you found your teacher when you were sixteen. I remember it started becoming a problem when I was sixteen. I was—if it’s been a decade—twenty when the territories were lost almost completely. That’s when it was truly war,” he mused. The sadness faded from his voice and a bitterness replaced it.

Taliyah was sure that the Noxian invasion was a sore spot for Khada Jhin, just as it was for all Ionians. Yasuo had mentioned being involved as the resistance once, but it had been vague and ambiguous and it was obvious that he wasn’t going to tell her the story no matter how curious she got.

“I’m sorry,” she mumbled, “I wouldn’t have asked if I--”

“We’ve already been over this. It’s fine to ask of these things.”

“Sorry.”

He sighed and shook his head. “Let’s move on,” he said, “do you have any family?”

Taliyah perked up at that question. “Of course! My mother and father and big brother, like I told you, and three other brothers.” A warm happiness spread in her chest. The thought of her family still made her feel good and she hoped it always did.

He gave a hum in response and handed over the washcloth to the stoneweaver. The same show of courtesy she had given to him, she supposed. With a small smile, she took it from his hands.

This eased him and he seemed happier than he had been talking about his family. She finished what he started and washed the parts he wouldn’t. From top to bottom, including her legs, she was happy to relieve herself of the layer of filth from the past few days. Although she had washed up in the last week, she hadn’t been able to take a full bath and it always disgusted her when it went on for long enough. And with everything that she’d gotten herself into, she was definitely excited to scrub away the dirt.

When she was done, she placed the washcloth at the edge of the tub. He in turn started to wash her hair. His fingers slowly mussed her hair and felt an exciting chill down her spine. She loved when people played with her hair. It was always such a great feeling.

They were silent this time around, allowing Taliyah to think about her next question. She knew that she wanted it to be good and to answer something important on her mind. Especially since they were almost done and whatever they did for the rest of the day probably wouldn’t involve privacy. She just didn’t know what she wanted to ask yet.

She could ask about so much about this man. So much about who he was, what he wanted to be in life, and if he had big plans for the future. Khada Jhin was so much more interesting than she would have dreamed of, but she didn’t know where to start with him.

It wasn’t until he tapped her shoulder that she had noticed that she had drifted off in thought again. Apparently he had finished washing her hair and was awaiting her exit of the tub.

“I think we should get you dry and dressed,” Khada Jhin said, wiping off his hands on one of the towels.

She nodded and slowly stood up, careful not to cause a mess. She was thankful for his hand to help her out of the bath and wrap her in the drier of the two towels. Even with all his help, she still almost lost her balance and hoped that he wasn’t paying attention to her. She stepped to the side so he could clean up the bathing area.

Dismissing his help with her side, Taliyah covered her injury with a bandage and slipped on a shirt. Her panties and pants quickly followed. She was warm and comfortable and everything seemed okay. Her anxiety had completely faded away and she felt so much better from the last couple of days.

This wasn’t such a bad experience, she mused, watching her new friend finish his task. Khada Jhin was her friend. And with such an odd name, she was sure that he would stick out in her memory even long after she never saw him again. Suddenly, it struck her on what she should ask.

 _Duh_ , she scolded herself. _Why would you ever let this question slip?_

“Khada Jhin?” she called out.

“Yes?” he responded.

“Your name isn’t really Khada Jhin, is it?”

He stood and turned around to look a her, a half smile planted on his lips. “No, it’s not.”

He was amused.

“Would you mind telling me what your birth name is?”

He was silent for a moment. She wondered if he would.

“Only if you call me _Jhin_ from now on. We’re too informal for you to continue to call me Khada Jhin, my dear.”

She laughed. _My dear_.

She didn’t hesitate to agree, grinning wide and bright. “Deal.”

“I guess my parents always hoped for a heroic man with legendary status. It’s very showy for a commoner.”

“I’m sure it’s still good.”

“It is,” with a pause, he came to stand closer to her after picking up their discarded clothes and towels, “my name is Sorash’in of the Takeno family.”

Taliyah smiled wide. “As pretty as your birth name is, I think I like Jhin better.

  
Jhin smiled too. “I think I agree with you.”


	7. An Arm's Length Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What makes a man and what makes a god?
> 
> Drugs, pain, a crowded conscious, and annoying healer's opinion might just answer that question for Jhin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot tell a lie; this chapter took longer than expected because of URF. 
> 
> Enjoy!

“She’s _pretty_ ,” he laughed, looking up at the ceiling. His lopsided grin was plastered across his face like a sticker a child would slap on a journal, “she’s _so fucking pretty,_ Magdelena.”

Taliyah had weaseled her way into his thoughts again. To touch her and be touched by her like he did had  made his day and more. There was something so alluring and grounded about this girl and he loved it. She was the Yin to his Yang and it was something he had never experience with a man or a woman before. He had had partners before, both sexual and romantic (and even loved some of them), but she was something, _someone,_ he clicked all too well with to forget and leave behind like he had with all the others.

Even if she didn’t feel the same way, he at least wanted to be friends with her. Everything she did felt right and calm and just _perfect._ Everything she said was perfect for the situation. _She was perfect._

Gods, he was smitten with this girl.

“You like her that much? I didn’t take you for the short chubby type,” Magdelena teased, bringing the man back to reality. Her words were distant, however, as a haze of drugs and distraction stood between them.

After the bath fiasco, a nice lunch between the three of them, some house chores, and some lazing around, it was now nighttime and Jhin had been summoned by the old woman to chat and fix his arm. Apparently, Taliyah had expressed concerns to the healer about his injury and the man conceded that something needed to change with the wound.

The pain had increased dramatically throughout the day and his left hand had become useless because of it. And being a lefty, he wasn’t exactly comfortable with sitting there without use of his dominant hand, even if he was closer to ambidextrous than not.

So Magdelena had drugged him up (that was a lucrative action as Jhin couldn’t feel anything anywhere, especially not in his forearm) and reopened the wound. Whatever she had given him was enhanced by magic, no doubt, and all of Jhin’s filters had been whisked away. So now they sat at the counter top, hands and towels covered in infected pus, blood, and scraps of muscular tissue as the healer combated whatever was causing the problem and the virtuoso sat there babbling on about the stoneweaver.

The dim lantern light from the room burned his eyes. To remedy this, he laid his head in his arm on the open counter space, burying his face in the crook of his elbow. His high wasn’t made for the bright lights, sharp smells, or loud noises, he assumed. Magdelena did warn him that it wasn’t the most pleasant experience, even if externally he couldn’t feel anything.

Beyond the light, he could smell the acrid disinfectant in the air, the pungent odor of the infection linger on the towels, and the sweet peppermint taste in his mouth (as the healer told him to chew peppermint while she worked). It was an odd experience and he was nauseous from the sensory overload. He was thankful that the mint kept most of it at bay.

It wasn’t a high he’d want to repeat and his head hurt worse than his arm. But Jhin trusted her and let her go on about her business without complaint. Instead, he focused on breathing and talking to the healer. Past the sick feeling, if he could focus on anything but the side effects, he could tolerate this.

Although being unable to control himself due to substances scared him more than possibly anything else he could think of, his current housing situation made it easier to deal with his fears. He had no weapons on his person and his body was still incredibly battered and sore and there was no way that he could act upon his psychopathic tendencies.

“You take me for the small and fragile type? I am forsaken!” he retorted, voice pitchy and excited, “besides, she’s not the same as other women. There’s something about her that makes her worth my time and I can't place it. She just so—so—” He didn’t how to finish that sentence. What was the word for what he was feeling? Kind? Considerate? Intelligent? Useful?

“Pretty?” the healer filled in.

“ _Y_ _es_ ,” he breathed, making Magdelena laugh. Yes, that was the word for her. _Pretty._

_Prettier than any masterpiece he could create._

“She’s going to be more prominent in your head than your ego is, boy,” she snickered.

“I wouldn’t be unhappy with that,” he responded right away.

She laughed and he joined her, finding solace in having a mother figure to gossip about Taliyah to. It was an awkward relationship and things were an odd manner of back and forth, but he didn’t mind it. He wasn’t alone for the first time in a long while and although his art kept him in good company most nights, sometimes he did miss the company of another.

This felt right.

Jhin’s hand twitched as she prodded further into his arm. Although it didn’t hurt, per say, the pressure was starting to bother him. It felt worse than the pain did and an odd sense of claustrophobia was starting to set it. He didn’t _get_ claustrophobic, especially not when it came to his own body.

In his curiosity for his newest symptom, he propped his head up on his arm and looked at the healer; she was still concentrated on her work. There was no falter in her confidence with her knife. She was pulling through the muscle and picking out pieces of what Jhin could only assume was his bone.

“Is claustrophobia a side effect of this drug?” he asked, wincing as she pulled another piece of his body out of his arm.

“Sometimes. It usually means you’re starting to come down. Tell me, does your head hurt? And if so, where?”

He raised his eyebrows and closed his eyes, tilting his head to the side. He thought about it for a long second, trying to pinpoint the pain. The problem was that the pain was _everywhere_. It was pulsing and sharp and in no place did it hurt less than the others. Except for right behind his eyes. That was the absolute worse. “The front does. A lot.”

“It's time for bed, then.” After one last look through the wound, Magdelena placed her instruments down and picked up a needle and thread. She pulled the skin together, starting to stitch up the muscle.

Jhin didn’t mind blood or gore–it’d be cruel joke if he did–but to see his own body ripped apart made him sick. It was the same feeling that he had when he received punishments from his father. He couldn’t stand to see his own skin shredded and muscle mangled amongst bone. His vision swam and he had to bite back a cry of protest.

“Did you find what you were looking for?” he asked weakly, closing his eyes again. His nausea was going to overwhelm him if he was to continue look at his arm and that would be almost entirely too embarrassing. Jhin tried to keep his world as stable as possible and focused on his breathing as if it were a slow waltz in an Ionian play.  

“Yes. Found a piece of bone I missed the first time.”

He took a deep breath. Never again with this then, he thought. Thank the Gods.

“So what did you two talk about in there? I’m assuming it wasn’t a silent stand off,” the healer said, changing  the subject.

He smiled, glad to focus on something else, “No, it wasn’t. She and I questioned each other about life. Personal matters, like  her mother’s disproportionate love for her.”

“And her _biafash_ of a brother beating her for it?”

He didn’t have to know what she said to understand what she was saying. “The very story, yes.”

Magdelena snickered. “Fucker. Never did like the kid when he was a baby. I’m glad to hear that my opinion doesn’t have to change.”

Jhin furrowed his brow. She knew other members of Taliyah’s family? He assumed she was a hermit that lived on the outskirts of civilization that Taliyah knew. “You know him?”

“Of course I do! Theban was a national treasure when it came to our tribe’s beliefs. He was born and weaved of the Great Weaver’s hair just like his father and father before that. He should have been revered. But when he was born, even my sister saw evil in his soul and she was never the cynical one.”

“Wait, what? That was–you were there when he was born?”

She laughed. “I know you know I’m a related sibling to the tribe elder. I heard Taliyah tell you over lunch the other day.”

“I don’t understand.”

Magdelena sighed, shaking her head. Her voice was quiet as she explained, “I was born into the tribe. In fact, I was the eldest daughter. But I never wanted that power. So instead after Theban’s birth, I left. He was a child born of the anger of the sands and I didn’t want to see that rule my tribe.”

“I thought you lived alone all your life?”

She shook her head. “That was thirty years ago, Jhin. I consider it to be my whole life.”

Jhin sat there and contemplated that idea for a moment. To be alone for thirty years. That wasn’t something that enticed him. He wanted some sort of companionship, even if it was just his servants doing their jobs in his presence. But to be isolated like this, he’d go stir crazy. He couldn’t imagine it.

“Then how do you know Taliyah?” he asked, “how did she get to you?”

Magdelena pulled another stitch closed and Jhin was acutely aware of just how quick he was crashing. He could feel each prod of the needle and the sliding of the thread through the hole made. His nausea was hard to ignore at all now. He silently prayed that she’d fix him up quickly.

“The earth brought her to me, hungry and tired. Much like you being brought here. It was before she went off to find her teacher,” she answered, “in simple terms, fate brought us together.”

Jhin thought the concept of fate more complex than the story itself. Fate had always fascinated him; he couldn’t understand why people relied on the idea when obvious things changed so rapidly. Whether it be the weather, illness, or someone’s death by unnatural causes, there was no way an umbrella entity like that could exist.

No one thing could set someone’s path like that.

There was a splash of water and a cold rag brushed his arm. He winced and shifted in discomfort. She was washing away the bodily fluids caked onto his skin and was closer to glass scraping his skin than it was cool water soothing his wounds. He didn’t know how long the drug was supposed to last, but it seemed all too short for the task at hand and he was starting to regret saying yes to this adventure.

Another splash of water and the rag gently touch his face, wiping away the beads of sweat that had started to collect on his forehead. He furrowed his brow at the kind gesture, not yet completely comfortable with her care. But that wasn’t a topic he wanted to touch on, so he went back to the conversation.

“I don’t believe in fate,” he said.

“I know you don’t. That’s why you try and play god,” she retorted, placing the rag back in the water. She started bandaging his arm, fingers easy on his bruising skin.

He clicked his tongue, irritated at the comment. Of course this old hag would know that. “Do you not tire of being mortal? Of watching life go on the same way over and over again? To have a linear, symmetrical life, that doesn’t bore you? I know I do.”

“I tire of watching people think they are more than they will ever be, boy,” her voice mocked him at every syllable. “I’ve watched men and women fall prey to their own vices in one way or another; don’t think that your vice is any different.”

Jhin was silent, sitting up and pulling his arm away as he saw the job was finished. This conversation was leaving a sour taste in his mouth. He had no interest in being angry at her, especially after all the work she had just done for him, but he knew he’d would be if they continued down this path. He changed the subject, hoping she would take the hint as well. “I think I should go rest.”

She nodded, slowly gathering the messy objects scattered on the counter top. “Can you make it there on your own?”

Jhin didn’t answer and stood up. He turned to leave, leaning against the stone for a long moment. He took a deep breath, trying desperately to steady his vision. Nauseous, dizzy, in pain, and exhausted: this was a combination he never wanted to deal with again. He couldn’t help the groan that escaped from his lips that seemed to answer her question.

The old woman laughed a sad laugh. One that a mother would use when her child was grown and sick. “I’m sorry. These experiences are never the greatest.”

He shook his head. His problems weren’t on his mind, although her affections started to wear down his defenses. His mind wandered back to the idea of mortality and he couldn’t stop himself from speaking about it once more. His being wouldn’t let it go and his mind had no control over what he said. “My vice, as you’d call it, makes me a mere mortal in your eyes?”

Magdelena shifted and leaned against the counter. “Boy,” she spoke, voice filled with suspicion, “all of us, sans the Ascended, are mortal. You seem to think otherwise and I wonder what you’re going to do with that train of thought.”

His response was immediate. “I am not made to be a mortal.”

The healer bursted out laughing. “Who says? You? Unless you become married to a Goddess, you’ll be no more than who you are. There’s a difference between _playing_ and _being_ , boy. Even if you’re not _made_ for it, it doesn’t mean that’s not what you _are_.”

Jhin sighed defeatedly, running his hand through his hair. His eyes fell on his freshly bandaged arm. The skin pulsed under them, reminding him just how mortal he truly was. No matter how many people he changed for the better, his mutilations wouldn’t bring him to be anything more than who he was; a child playing adult games.

And what about Taliyah? She was nothing short of being perfect. Compared to her, he was no more than a servant. She was the Goddess to make him a God. But if she didn’t accept him, then he still be exactly where he was before. His beautiful artworks would be seen a grotesque and selfish and the angered him.

He’d never own a woman like her.

Yet even she was human, so he couldn’t understand how she could change him into a god. She was, after all, _just_ as mortal as him or Magdelena.

“And Taliyah? What is she?” His voice was grating and it was obvious that he was angry with himself and this conversation. Magdelena was relentless, however.

“Perfection.” The answer was so distinct and front-loaded that he shivered. _Perfection._

Jhin walked off without a word. He could feel the healer’s eyes stare holes into the back of his head and her grin ripped at whatever ego he had left. Clenching his jaw, he made his way to the doorway, afraid that if he stayed any longer he’d turn around and kill her. As much pain as he was in, the drugs still kept his levels of control low.

“Good night, sweet dreams,” Magdelena called after him, voice flat, “don’t get hung up on it too much, boy. Not all of us are gifted like Taliyah.”

He stopped, leaning on the exit with his hand. He was silent a moment, thinking about what he wanted to say. He wanted so desperately to rip into her like a piece of fine venison. He wanted to watch the life fade from her eyes. His anger would be his downfall is he wasn’t careful.  He trusted himself to walk away and that’s what he did.

“Then she’ll be my special gift and there won’t be anyone able to deny my position of power, especially not _you_.” His voice was laced with venom and he didn’t stop to hear her reply. Instead, he made his incredibly slow way back to his room.

It was quiet, dark, and cold. All things that he was incredibly grateful for at that moment, although he couldn’t shake the painful bite of the room being lonely. That’s right, he thought to his bitter self, she’s sleeping in her room tonight. He snickered, shaking his head. Was he really that needy? Had he fallen that hard, that fast?

This girl lingered on his skin like a summer breeze.

His mind wandered to that afternoon, filling the emptiness with the thoughts of the past hours. If she couldn’t be here, then she’d remember when she was. That always helped to fill the void left by someone; he knew that all too well with his father’s death.

_She turned and stood chest to chest with the man. Suddenly, her height was small and unimpressive and he hoped she understood what he meant by not being able to reach the bandages. He was sure she only just reach five-foot six, yet there was no denying that her presence was demanding. His height of six-foot four seemed belittled by her commanding posture._

He walked over to the bed, easing himself up to sit on the comforters. They had been laid out for rest earlier in the day after he was told that his arm was going to reopened. He was glad he had the foresight for the action and spent little time rearranging the blankets.

_He’d never seen her this way; not toe to toe like this. He had to look down hard to meet her eyes and it was such an odd feeling. Even if he were to have clothes on, he was sure the feeling of insecurity wouldn’t go away in the first place. She didn’t seem scared and obviously resigned herself the fact that he could put her in trouble if he wanted to. The ability to press her between him and the stone floor, trapped and conceded to his bidding._

_And it was incredibly exciting._

He slowly stretched himself out, cradling his injured arm to his chest. The medication was slowly fading bit by bit, minute by minute, and the throbbing was increasingly difficult to deal with. He just hoped he’d fall asleep before he had to bear the full brunt of the pain.

_It was, until he raised his hand quickly from his side and Jhin’s heart sank. Men had obviously raised their hand to her before and he could tell she knew just how hard they could hit. And if he was coming up to hit her, which he wasn't, he wasn’t going to be shy about it. Instinctively she flinched away and shut her eyes. He realized just how steeled she had been to this and was waiting for the pain to blossom across her face._

_His hand gently pushed back a lock of stray hair from her face and he made a noise of distaste. She really didn’t trust him, did she? That hurt more than he wanted to admit to any one person. Her eyes fluttered open and she looked up at him again. Taliyah’s confusion was clear as day and Jhin could only shake his head with a look of pain on his face. How could she be so willing to be hurt when she had done nothing wrong? When his father hurt him, it was because he had done something wrong; she was fine receiving a punishment that was not hers._

Closing his eyes, he settled on painting a picture of her soft face in his mind: her caramel skin, soft brown freckles, sparrow-colored hair, and bright chestnut. Taliyah’s features slowly etched themselves into his vision, blooming slowly like a morning glory in the rising sun. Her beauty was unmatched to anyone he’d ever seen. She was so much more than an Ionian woman could ever be and it sent shivers down his spine.

_His hand settled on her cheek and it was warm and soft to the touch. Her face was so inviting and comforting, he didn’t know what to do with it. All he wanted her to know is that is was okay to trust him; he was more than a heathen and certainly wouldn’t hurt her like others had. The two of them stood like that for a while and all her complaints about helping him melted away._

_This wasn’t an awkward standoff like he had predicted. No, it was a mutual way to get to know each other. It dawned on Jhin that maybe this woman wanted to get to know him, too. Maybe he should have given him more credit._

_“Is that why you stopped moving earlier? Do I scare you?” he finally asked, lowering his hand from her face. The lack of contact made him sad and part of him wanted to return his fingers to her cheek. But other things were more important this time._

“Do I scare you?” he asked the dark, fidgeting with the blanket, “do I scare _her?”_

_"No! No, you don’t scare me,” she answered hastily._

“I hope not,” he breathed, letting his mind skip to later in the conversation: a part that he thought wouldn’t be a conversation with anyone for decades forward. He was descending into unconsciousness and he knew this would be his last thought of the night. Better make it a good one, he smirked.

_“Khada Jhin?” she called out._

_“Yes?” he responded._

_“Your name isn’t really Khada Jhin, is it?”_

_He stood and turned around to look a her, a half smile planted on his lips. Clever girl, he mused. “No, it’s not.”_

_“Would you mind telling me what your birth name is?”_

_He was silent for a moment. Did he mind, was the question? He hadn’t told anyone his real name in almost fifteen years. There was no attachment to it at this point; only his legal documents held his name for travel purposes. And even then, he tried not to look at it. That wasn’t his name anymore._

_His mouth answered before his brain could catch up. “Only if you call me Jhin from now on. We’re too informal for you to continue to call me Khada Jhin, my dear.”_

_She laughed._

_She liked that, the way he called her ‘my dear’. He made a mental noted to do it more often._

_She didn’t hesitate, grinning wide and bright. “Deal.”_

_Jhin shifted his thoughts to the positive side of things. He’d tell her; the first person in fifteen years would know his real name. “I guess my parents always hoped for a heroic man with legendary status. It’s very showy for a commoner.”_

_“I’m sure it’s still good.” He thought so, too._

_“It is,” with a pause, he came to stand closer to her after picking up their discarded clothes and towels. It was hard to keep his voice level. To say it was so taboo, so foreign. He wasn’t sure he could do it, “my name is Sorash’in of the Takeno family.”_

_It flowed off his tongue, to Jhin’s surprise, and Taliyah smiled wide. “As pretty as your birth name is, I think I like Jhin better.”_

_Jhin smiled too, heart skipping several beats and butterflies invading his privacy. She thought both names were good, huh? At least that makes one person in this world._

_“I think I agree with you.”_


	8. Withdarawl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Healing was a precarious process, and Taliyah knew that it meant stress and sickness past the initial attack.
> 
> But when a sandstorm threatens the home the three reside in, sometimes healing is put aside for the good of everyone.
> 
> And Taliyah hates that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Been a long month lol. This isn't the best chapter but it's not a filler like last one, so!

She couldn’t understand why the night had felt so lonely in her room. Waking up to the Shuriman sun had become more of a gift than usual; it chased away the isolation of the night and kept her inescapable and unexplainable fear of being alone at bay.

Taliyah also couldn’t understand why sleeping in the same room as him had taken such a toll on her ability to be alone so quickly. She only slept near him twice over (once on the first night he was there and she didn’t know if he’d make it through the first twenty-four hours and the second night when she accidentally fell asleep after talking to him) and in comparison to her twenty years without him, it shouldn’t weigh on her mind as much as it was.

 _Twenty years without him_.

She sat up from her bed, grumbling about how much of an idiot she’d become. This puppy-love sickness was going to kill her, she knew it. He was just a crush, that was all. And every odd event so far had only been that way because of the situation they had been in and nothing more.

Although he wanted to be friends, or so she hoped, it didn’t change the fact that he didn’t like her in the same way she did. Like she had been telling herself, no fit Ionian like him would want to intermingle with a soft Shuriman like her. His fine, pale, and chiseled features were so much more alluring than her dark, undefined, nomadic looks would ever be.

And don’t even get her started on her nose. That was the bane of her _whole_ existence. It made her face uneven, wide, and way too extra for her build. She didn’t look cute or pretty or any of those positive adjectives that people dished out for women. No, she was plain and ordinary.\

With another grumble against herself, she stood up from her mattress on the ground. She stretched her arms over her head, once again careful of her stitches, and helped out her aching back. Sleep was never this hard to come by, she mused, even when she was on her own in the wild of Ionia before she met Yasuo.

Walking out of her room, she made a beeline for the kitchen. Somehow or another, it had become a central meeting place for the people who resided in this house at any sort of time. Magdelena loved her little kitchen and Taliyah never doubted where she’d be. Currently, the healer was sitting at the countertop shucking peas into a bowl for what the stoneweaver assumed to be for lunch. She sat down next to her, picking up a pod to do the same.

“Good morning,” Taliyah said, easing her thumb into the crevasse between the two sides of the pod. She always loved doing this as a kid. It fascinated her that the flesh would split so easily and reveal the small peas it protected. As if they did not matter to the pod, the spheres would be taken away and the external covering discarded or used for a different dish.

The thought of being used like that made her nervous, though. If she were a pod, would she give away her peas and die without a fight? Would she be defeated like a frail fruited food? She shook her head and scolded herself. These were dumb thoughts that had no weight. She wasn’t a peapod and she didn’t have any peas within her like that. These were the ideas of a child on a long journey and she was neither a child nor on long journey.

She received a similar greeting and a small, fleeting smile from the elder. She looked tired and the worry on her face was evident. It had been a long night, Taliyah assumed, and she was interested in knowing the answer to her assumption.

“Did something happen last night?” the young woman asked, “did you not sleep well?”

Magdelena nodded, throwing another used pod to the side, “You asked me to fix that boy’s arm, and of course after the first botched job,” she paused to give Taliyah a look of distaste. She returned it with a shy shrug. The elder shook her head and continued, “and I did so. It’s just not so easy the second time around.”

Taliyah furrowed her brow and the healer went on, “I didn’t want to knock him out completely, so I may have magically enhanced some painkillers.”

“You didn’t,” the younger was taken aback. No way she did that to him. That was _torture_. Magically enhanced anything hurt worse than whatever you were using them for. It was never something that anybody ever wished to try. And it was a practice that was banned in all states except in Shuriman lands and it baffled Taliyah that Magdelena somehow got him to do consent to the action.

Being as smart as he was, he should have known about enhanced drugs and their side effects. Or maybe he just didn’t care anymore. She groaned, “So he’s sick? Is that why you were up, to watch him?” Painkillers made people ill on a regular basis. But this? This meant something so much more volatile.

Magdelena smiled and shrugged. “To be honest girl, I only did so because I didn’t know if he’d make it through the night without company. He’s a sociable creature when it comes down to it and to be that sick alone doesn’t seem like his forté,” she said, throwing more peas into the bowl, “besides, his arm is fixed and we can move on with our lives now.”

Taliyah rolled her eyes, uninterested in fight the elder on this. “Is he awake?”

“Why, are you going to jump into his arms and kiss him good morning?” the healer teased. The stoneweaver’s reaction must have amused the woman and she laughed long and hard. “Is this all it takes to make you blush? One sly comment and you get this flustered. Good to know!”

“Shut up,” Taliyah whined, “I’m sorry I like him, okay? Have you ever liked a guy out of your league?” With a pout, she finished the pod in her hand and stood up, looking over to the other woman.  The elder raised an eyebrow and her smile faded just enough for Taliyah to think that she had said something wrong.

“Do you really think he’s out of your league?” The older woman’s voice was soft and kind, unlike usual. Any bitter  remark or tone seemed to have flown out the window. Her maternal attributes were in full force and Taliyah could very well say that it was making her feel out of place.

“I mean, he’s--you know--easy on the eyes and quite charming and I'm not exactly the prettiest sheep in the bunch,” she mumbled, casting her eyes down to the floor. The conversation started to become awkward for her. She didn’t exactly know how to express how she was feeling. Confused was a good starting word, she chided herself, and maybe even a little childish.

“You know,” Magdelena started, leaning back in her chair, “until you ask him, you’re never going to know.”

Taliyah shook her head, “Not right now with that, okay? I think I owe it to him to leave him be for the next couple of days until he feels better, anyways.” If she even asked, that is.

The elder clicked her tongue, obviously not pleased with the answer. “Bring him some food before you abandon him in his room, then. You know how dealing with this can feel on an empty stomach. There are some eggs cooked and bread in the usual spot.”

Taliyah gave a sigh and complied. Just as told, in a pan was warm scrambled eggs and bread close by. She grabbed a clean plate near the wooden sink and placed a serving of both food items. Out of courtesy, she filled a cup with water for him as well.

Without a word to Magdelena and hands full with food, she walked out of the kitchen and through the hallway, only stopping when she got to the doorway of her current problem.

She doubted he wanted to talk if he was as sick as she was thinking. But not talking wasn't exactly her strong suit and she didn't exactly know what to do with herself if he didn't want her around. Magdelena was a no go as Taliyah was sure the healer would want to try and pry on the current emotional situation. Sitting outside the doorway would be an awkward compromise, she supposed, and gave a defeated sigh.

Pushing the curtain back, she was greeted with the awful sight of her friend. He was curled up on his side, skin slicked with sweat and breathing not so evenly. The pained look on his face sealed the deal for her and Taliyah was certain that his sleep wasn't restful nor something he was wanted to continue.

She walked over to the wooden table holding her friend’s personal items, padding lightly on the stone floor. She placed the dishes on an open spot of the table and turned her attention to Jhin. The walls were thankfully quiet this time over other than the occasional worried whisper; seemingly captured by Jhin like Taliyah was, they gave a warmth in an effort to comfort the two within their presence.

After a short walk to the bed, she eased her hand onto the man’s shoulder, scrunching her nose at the heat radiating off his body. Poor thing, she pitied, a harsh frown pulling at her lips. She had to wake him to at least give him some solace from his painful sleep. Running her lip through her teeth, she thought of the easiest way to bring him back to the conscious world without scaring him. Shaking was no good. Neither was calling his name.

Taliyah shook her head and decided to try the way Babajan had woken her from her fever dreams.

She slid her fingers into his hair, ignoring the sweaty condition it was in and playing with the locks carefully. In return, he gave a soft whimper and shifted, pressing into her touch. Exactly what she thought; his sleep was a minimal unconsciousness. She hoped he’d wake up easy.

“Hey,”she called gently, “I need you to sit up.” She was surprised that he stirred immediately. It was a slow reaction and he didn’t seem all too happy to be awake, but he didn’t argue. His eyes opened and the glossy, unfocused gaze he held fell on her.

Anxiety bubbled up in her chest as she quickly relented to the fact that his attention, even in this state, was on her. He was intent on keeping her attention too, obviously, as he reached out to touch her free hand. Taliyah didn’t pull away, afraid she’d accidentally hurt him if she did. She stared back at him, anxiety rising as he started to speak to her.

“Are you real?” his question was quiet and weak and if she hadn’t been listening, she would have missed it entirely. He still wasn’t coherent yet and the stoneweaver was scared to give the wrong answer.

“Yes?” she said, her statement more of a question than an answer.

Jhin shook his head and mumbled an apology, pulling his hand away from her and turning to sit up. He was obviously struggling, keeping his left arm slack in his lap and the rest of his body to push himself to a sitting position.

Taliyah quietly slid her hand to his back to help. Trying not to seem overbearing, she kept her fingers light and her palm away from his body. It wasn’t until he was completely sat up did she move away and retrieve the plate and cup from the wooden table.

“I didn’t think this would be so rough,” he grumbled once she returned. His hand rubbed his face before slicking his hair back. He looked unhappy, understandably, and she smiled at him.

“It’s always worse than you think the first time around,” she sympathized. She held out the dishes towards him, hoping to bring his mind of his current situation at least a little bit.

Jhin raised his eyebrow, looking up at Taliyah. His confusion made her blush and she understood that he didn’t know what was happening. Anyone in his position probably wouldn’t understand, she chided herself.

“Maggy wanted you to eat,” she said, casting her eyes down to her feet. She didn’t dare look up to see the impending frustration in his eyes from her impatience. Her anxiety bubbled again and she rocked her weight between her toes and her heels.

Hands reached for the items and she only let go when she knew he’d taken the full weight of the items. She dropped her hands to her side and stayed until she heard him give a quiet thank you.  


Taliyah turned to walk back out of the room, ignoring the walls around her yelling for her presence to stay within them. They were telling her something about her friend, but she wasn’t up to listen; stone like this was always bias to keep companies close. She could hear the sound of rustling blankets as well, but forgo reacting to them. She assumed her was trying to get himself as comfortable as possible.

“You’re leaving?”  he called out and she stopped. His voice was close to pathetic-weak and harsh-and she wished it would be the normal deep and strong tone it, under normal circumstances, never lost. But her concern didn’t lie in how he sounded, but that he was obviously asking for her company and she wasn’t expecting that.

In fact, she wasn’t expecting him to even acknowledge her presence past the gift of food. She turned around to a pair of blue eyes staring up at her. They were muddled in both curiosity and pain and the stoneweaver couldn’t help but frown.

“I thought you’d like some time alone, considering how you’re feeling,” she responded, “am I wrong?”

He sighed a long and hard sigh and Taliyah found herself wrapped up in his emotion. He was upset at her? For what and why? He never made such a scene of something this small, she would have thought.

I told you I fully well enjoy your company in any condition,” he said, “and I’m sure if you ask the general population, none of them would choose to be alone whilst ill.”

Taliyah blinked. He enjoyed her company? He hadn’t said that before. All he had talked about is being around woman naked. Either way, that meant she wasn’t leaving and the her old plan was out the window, although she was sure it hadn’t been the better of the two choices.

She walked over and sat across from Jhin where he had rearranged the blankets. He was crossed-legged with the plate in between them and she mirrored the position, eyes watching him.

Jhin seemed content with this and started to eat the food he was given. Fork in hand, he was slow to find a pace that was easiest on his body, Taliyah noted. He didn’t seem all that interested in it in the first place; he must have been terribly nauseous still and she understood his dilemma all too well.

“You’re staring again,” he spoke, bringing her out of her thoughts.

She blushed. “Sorry,” she responded, shifting her gaze to the blanket wrapped around her friend’s shoulders. She always liked that blanket; the reds and browns were so soft and comforting, especially when she herself had been sick. It reminded her of home.

It must have been a while that she was staring, because only the sharp clatter of the fork jarred her from her thoughts. She was met with an irritated gaze from the other, “And you’re still staring,” he said sourly, “care to explain why?”

“Oh! Uh,” she fumbled for words. What was she going to say? The truth was out there even for her tastes (staring at a blanket isn’t exactly a great excuse for anything) and her first reason was even creepier than the second. Mentally slapping herself, she decided on the first, albeit leaving out specific tidbits that made it weird, “I’m just concerned about your state of health.”

“Concerned for me?” he gave a gruff chuckle, “seems like you’re more concerned about telling me the truth than worrying about my condition.”

“No, I’m serious! I just-” she sighed and shook her head, conceding to his inquiries, “the first time I was watching you eat. You don’t seem all that interested in eating is all. And then the second time I was looking at the blanket on your shoulders. It’s my favorite blanket. I don't know, I get side tracked a lot.” She cast her eyes down, fiddling with her fingers.

She heard Jhin shift and she looked up. Her eyes were met with a flash of black and a weight added to her shoulders. He was leaned over, concentrated and gentle as he arranged the blanket in question to cover Taliyah comfortably. It took a moment, but when he was finally content with his work he leaned back with a grin.

“Jhin?” She was extremely confused. What was he doing? He was obviously cold by the way he was passively shivering, but he didn’t make a move to take the object back. If this was somehow a motion to get her to trust him, it wasn’t necessary; after being washed by him, she wasn’t exactly worried about being hurt by him.

He shrugged his shoulders and reached behind him to slip another, less ornate blanket around himself. “It’s cold in here and I thought you would need it. Besides, you gave me three blankets. I can forgo one.”

Taliyah smiled and grabbed the edge of the given blanket and wrapped it around herself. She had to agree that it was an incredibly cold day for this time of year. And it didn’t help that the  wooden windows were closed to the sandy world around, leaving the stone to radiate the cold trapped within the room.

She watched him bring up his new blanket and wrapped it around himself in a similar fashion to her. He sat quietly for a moment, twirling the fork in his hand over and over. He didn’t make a move to continue to eat, however. His eyes were trained on the plate, blue irises muddled in what Taliyah could only assume was some sort of precarious thought.

The stoneweaver didn’t allow the silence to drag on much longer, questions prodding at her psyche, “Is there something wrong with the food?”

A thin grin appeared on his lips. He did not look at her and ask for her attention, but he was no less enchanting through his answer, “No, nothing’s wrong with the food. I am, without a shadow of a doubt, the problem.”

“You?” She furrowed her brow. His cryptic answer invited her curiosity to take part in the conversation. He always had a way of keeping an audience captivated (or maybe it was just her?).

“I grew to hate boats because they made me seasick. At this very moment, the nausea from whatever substance our healer gave me last night is a thousand times worse than anything I’ve ever experienced in my lifetime.” His hand with the utensil idled and for a brief second, he seemed to mull in his past. But it was just that: a brief second and Taliyah could have sworn she would have missed it if she wasn’t so interested in him.

He shifted his gaze up, his grin widening. The fork spun once more and he outstretched his hand, offering her the handle of the silverware. She raised an eyebrow and sat back for a moment. With a devious smile, she spoke loosely, “If you want me to feed you, that’s not happening. I already had to bathe you.”

He scoffed, “It’s not like you didn’t enjoy it,” he retorted, pulling another blush from her, “don’t worry, I’m not _that_ self absorbed my dear. No, I think you should enjoy this breakfast seeing as I can’t.”

“You really should be eating,” she pressed, shifting in her seat. If Magdelena found out that he didn’t, Taliyah was sure the healer would chew her out. That’s the point of caretaking; to find the best for the patient, even if a little force was involved.

“We both know that’s not happening, _iba._ And I’m sure you haven’t eaten yet.”

She hummed, weighing her options. The food had to go either way. Both of them would be under scrutiny if they didn’t make it disappear. He was too ill to manage the plate in the first place and he was right that she hadn’t eaten.

But he hadn’t even eaten much from the eggs and it worried her. Without food in his system, his day would be much harder than it should be. But he wasn’t going to force himself to and fighting over it was counter productive. Taliyah reluctantly reached for the utensil, careful not to overstay her welcome.  His fingers eased away from the object and she gave him a grateful smile. Her eyes moved down to the plate and eyed the meal wearily.

She usually didn’t have an appetite in the morning in the first place, but to know that the food wasn’t meant for her and, by proxy, had become a gift of sorts, still left Jhin in a bad spot; she couldn’t get past the thought of him having a hard time getting through the day (harder than if he were to eat the food). “At least eat the bread,” she said. With a harsh edge to her voice, Taliyah was without a doubt having trouble getting past her morality with this simple task.

Jhin raised an eyebrow. His voice was not so harsh, “Taliyah-”

“You’re going to feel worse than you do right now all day if you don’t get something down. It’d be nice if you’d compromise with me here.”

He stared at her, quiet and static in thought. It was a long moment before he relented to her wishes and nodded. His motion earned him a smile and he smiled back.

The two ate in a comfortable silence. Neither of them made a move to break it (other than the occasional shift of fabric) until the plate was empty enough to call clean with the fork laid on the cleanest part of the dish.

Taliyah was content to sit there for hours if she could. It was nice to sit with her new friend without any complications or excitement. It was just the two of them enjoying each other’s company without obstacle nor catalyst for another event. And even if he was sick and both of them were still injured, she could still call this a successful event.

It was just him and her and she loved it.

But as she told herself often, all good things come to an end and life has to move on. Both of them were pulled from their content by a loud call.

Taliyah jerked up when she heard her name. Magdelena seemed upset and the urgency in her voice was clear; something was wrong. She tossed the blanket off and nearly leaped from the bed. After a moment's hesitation when her feet landed on the ground and a warning growl from Jhin (after she almost slapped him across the face), she threw an apology across her shoulder before traipsing off into the other room.

The stoneweaver found her place next to the healer at the entrance of the house. Her gaze was focused on the outside and the younger followed her line of sight. A large storm was brewing to their left. It was angry and Taliyah could already see the lightning crashing against the bluing sky. She knew all too well what those signs of change were; the sands were going to shift and they were going to be stuck in the middle of it.

Shuriman sandstorms were notorious for their ability to kill people.

“We need to fortify the windows and door. We only have the day to do so,” Magdelena said, turning away towards the house. The command was simple and there was no time for argument; they both had a job, “the panelling is in the work room.”

Taliyah nodded, biting back a long sigh. Fortification was long and tedious, but necessary to live through a heavy storm on the plains like the one barrelling towards the three of them. Being prepared was always a must, even if Taliyah found herself dreading the long chore. She stared at the impending storm for a moment longer, still amazed at nature’s force and beauty, even after living in the desert for almost twenty years. It was a deadly beauty and she gave praise and respect to it.

After a quick prayer to the Great Weaver for safety and honor of the storm, she launched into her work, stopping to tell Jhin the news.

She was surprised to see him standing, propped up against the bed with his hands holding the brunt of his weight. He looked just as bad as he did when she first woke him up, the passive shaking still plaguing his body in heavy waves. He looked so vulnerable.

She gave him a questioning look, a nervous air filling the room. Taliyah slowed her pace to a cautionary trot, moving to his side. “Are you okay?” she asked.

Jhin gave a weak grin and her heart skipped a beat. Part her found itself enamoured with the expression; it was pretty and put together and made his already pretty face prettier and the other part found that initial nervousness intensify. Mentally reprimanding herself, she almost missed his answer to her question.

“Something’s wrong,” he stated, grin fading from his face, “something big.” The stern tone in his voice seemed silly to her, but she understood that he had never heard Magdelena’s voice turn urgent before.

She sighed and shook her head. “No, no, nothing like _that._ Or well, whatever that is that you’re thinking of. There’s a sandstorm heading this way and we need to prepare the house for the night.”

“What do we need to do?” he responded.

It was Taliyah’s turn to give a small smile, “ _We_ aren’t doing anything. You’re resting right here until you feel better _tomorrow_.” Jhin scrunched his nose, obviously irritated with the idea. What Taliyah knew of him, he wasn’t one to sit around and wait for things to happen like this.

“I’m sure it’s not all that hard to prepare for a storm, girl. I’m hungover, not dying,” he retorted, a hint of disappointment lining his words.

“It will when you have to lift heavy wooden barriers. Besides, with your arm like it is,” she paused to make a gesture towards the bandages, “I doubt you’d be able to help all that much.”

“Don’t doubt me like that.” A smile was plastered on his face, but he was in no way joking and she knew it.

She sighed and shook her head. She didn’t doubt him, but she knew just how bad he looked and just how bad he _felt._ Pushing his body wouldn’t be something that anybody in the house would end up enjoying dealing with.

With a moment of hesitation, she relented, “Promise you won’t hurt yourself?”

Jhin grinned. “Promise.”

Taliyah didn’t believe him, but went on with it anyways and walked over to the darker corner of the room. Just as always, the wooden barriers were underneath a tarp. She easily shed the cover to reveal the wooden slats that would end up holding the windows and doors shut during the storm.

She picked the first one up with some effort. They were heavy planks used solely to keep windows and doors barred and she absolutely hated lifting them. She could definitely say she wasn’t made for physical labor.

When he leaned down to mirror her action, she started to stop him. However, the words fell like stones from her lips as she watched him pick up one in his right hand without strain. She glanced up to see him smirk before he turned around towards the exit of the room.

“So where are we starting?” he asked.

“Follow me,” she answered, walking out the door and towards their destination.

Taliyah didn’t stop to look back until she got to where she was going. Stepping into the shared guest room that was currently hers, she couldn’t help but smile. Not many people visited Magdelena, but the people that did always left some sort of trinket to be remembered by. Strung up on the ceiling, dozens of mementos from different people around the decades dangled happily from the stone roof; it was always the highlight of Taliyah’s visits.

Other than small stone room with a mattress on the floor,  a window with shutters sat farther than a stone ledge holding a potted plant and a few of Taliyah’s accessories. It was a small and cozy place that she enjoyed escaping to.

She turned to look at her friend, awaiting his curiosity. But what she found was both more and less of what she expected. He was leaned up against the doorway, staring up at the trinkets. He seemed amused and interested, yet he was so nonchalant about it.

This man was so curiously invested in being both dark and mysterious and being his age (which Taliyah understood was closer to being a three year old than it was anything else). It was such an interesting way to live in her mind; to try and be one way and another all at the same time without showing the truth in the middle. She couldn't imagine trying to live such a double life, to live with two masks stacked on top of each other.

¨I haven’t been in this room yet,” he said, a small smile gracing his face, “is this yours?”

“It is! Amongst a shared group of people, that is. I’m not the only guest that comes through these parts every once in awhile,” she answered, walking over to the window. She slid all of the objects over and hopped up onto the window sill with one of the heavy wooden slats. She worked the window closed and arranged the slat to sit on the two metal hooks on each side of the window.

“I can see that. Which one is yours?” She looked back to see he hadn't moved from the doorway, still focused on the strung items above. She smiled and slipped the wooden slat down and made sure it was secured into place.

She shimmied off the stone ledge and plopped her feet onto her bed with a satisfying thump. She turned, both amused by his assumption of the objects and his subtly curiosity. Taliyah stretched her arm up to point at the cluster of sparrow feathers tied together by beads. ¨That one.¨

He said nothing to the answer, but a wide grin spread across his lips and the stoneweaver understood; his amusement was genuine. “Do I get one when I leave?”

The question caught her off guard, but he was going to spend months here and it’d be nice to leave some sort of mark, she thought. With a shrug, she started out the doorway, sliding past him. “If you’d like.” With a passing answer, she walked towards the next room. With a quiet laugh, he followed without a word.

* * *

 

The majority of the next hour was a similar routine: they would pick up the slats, walk to the next window, have some sort of idle conversation, do their chore, and move on. It was a fine game of cat and mouse and Taliyah had no interest in letting it end, albeit not wanting to continue the chore part of the activity any longer. With only the main door left to board up and all the decorations brought from outside, she could taste freedom from the task at hand. 

It only vaguely crossed her mind the condition the two of them were in. Her side ached and the menagerie scrapes and bruises peppering her skin started to burn from the sweat. But the job _needed_ to be done and done _right._ She grumbled about it and lifted the first and higher set of two beams, glad she had some help to slot it in place.

Set between the door, entranceway wall, and her helper, she was working as fast as possible to get this done. Getting a warning from Magdelena that is was now or never (as the old woman herself rushed to place any hanging objects on the ground for safety), Taliyah wasn’t interested in being suffocated by sand in the home that she tried so hard to protect.

When it slotted and the familiar clunk alerted her to their success, she grinned. There was only one more plank and they were done. And although she couldn’t take a bath to relieve herself of the sweat of the day (since the water had been shut off for protection), a bed close to the cold stone floor was no less alluring.

“Alright, one more and-” her early celebrating was cut short when she felt a heavy fall upon her shoulders. It caught her off guard and a loud cry escaped her. She stood strong, however, and held whatever had fallen on her. It took her some time to register the heat and sweat drenching her shirt, not to mention the heavy (and particularly ragged) breath pressing against her skin. She could feel his rapid heart beat against her back and the shaking wasn’t to be ignored either.

“J-Jhin?!” she stuttered, unable to turn to look at her friend. She was afraid that if she did, he’d collapse and that wasn’t something she was looking forward to dealing with. How had he deteriorated so fast? He had been fine for the most part throughout the whole of the last couple hours. Other than a few moments where he quietly sat down at the kitchen counter and eased himself against a wall, Talyah hadn’t once seen a red flag that would lead to this.

It hit her just as fast as Jhin’s sudden crash had hit him; throughout the day, he hadn’t _helped with the preparation_ . This was the first time she had _asked_ for his help. She winced, feeling the weight of her guilt immediately. He was in no condition to be _walking_ , let alone helping with manual labor.

“Just--don’t move,” Jhin managed to answer. And seeing as Taliyah had no other choice, she did as she was told without a word. No complaint, question, or comment came from her and silence was only choked by the panting of the man in the room.

She wasn’t sure how long they stood there like that; one relying on the other for security and strength and the other bearing the weight both in the physical realm and the guilty conscious she now held.

When he finally recovered to a point of independance, his hand met the door and eased himself from her shoulders, but his hand stayed on her frame with a rough grip. “Sorry,” he mumbled in the same pathetic tone from earlier.

Taliyah turned to look at her friend. He looked more ill than when she had woken him up.  His eyes were dull and his skin was pale. He was still shivering and everything that had made their afternoon so pleasant had been eaten by the temporary affliction the man suffered.

She knew that this was a bad idea from the start and should have forced him back in bed instead of allowing him to help her. With a furrow of her brow and a scrunch of her nose, she shook her head.

“Don’t be! None of this is your fault. I shouldn’t have let you out of bed. I--look, this has been fun and all, but I really think you should go lay down. You’ve done enough and I thank you for your help and company,” she said, voice full of regret.

Jhin’s face was one of confusion and what the young woman could only describe as pain, but there was no fight against her and her wishes in his eyes. He almost looked--sad to her.  He slowly straightened himself up, eyes never leaving Taliyah’s frame and hand slowly pulling away from her shoulder.

“Can you make it there on your own?” she followed up, matching his sad gaze. She really did enjoy spending time with him. But that was besides the point and now she had to right her wrongs.

“I can,” he answered, hesitant in turning around. But he did and Taliyah watched him for as long as she could before he disappeared into the next room. Her eyes noted two things; his limp was slowly fading and that made her smile. Jhin’s body was healing and that meant they were getting closer to him leaving. And two, he was starting to seem, dare she say it, content. Even if he didn’t want to stay, he was content in healing her and that made her happy.

Being able to watch a man she was slowly starting to care heavily for find solace in a place she loved made her mind, body, and soul fill with a warm fuzziness. Even if she could never get closer to him, then this blossoming friendship that they were kindling made her happy.

He made her happy.

Taliyah brought herself back from her mental musings to the job at hand. She quickly slotted the last plank with some tedious balancing and labored effort. After said task, she wiped her hands on her pants and gave a once over of the door before turning to walk away.

On her short travel, she accidently bumped into Magdelena with a quiet _oof_. “Oh! Hello,” she greeted after apologizing for the soft bump. “Everything is locked up tight.”

“Wonderful!” she answered, seemingly unphased by the run in. The old woman gave a smile in praise for the completed task and Taliyah returned the smile, “you should get yourself ready for the night. By the last looks I had of the storm, it’s gonna be a long one.”

She nodded, completely understanding what she meant. Sandstorms were suffocating and unsettling. In some of the young woman’s earlier days, she had gone through some nasty storms and given her share of tears over them. But she was older now; they didn’t scare her in the same way that they used to. The scariest part of the storms were whether or not they’d be able to get out of their shelter the next day and not the loud sounds of whirling sands and crashing lightning.

Taliyah started off towards her room, awaiting the soft embrace of her bed. It would be nice to get some sleep after this uneventful and labor intensive days.

She was only stopped by the voice of Magdelena chasing her down the hallway. “I’m assuming Jhin’s never been through a storm like this.” she started, stopping the stoneweaver in her tracks. Yes, that’s right, he’s from Ionia, “And I’m sure he’d enjoy company for the night."

  
She smiled. Maybe this is a way she could make up for exhausting him earlier and he did say that he enjoyed her company no matter what his condition was! With an excited and childish grin, she started back down the hallway with a new and electrified bounce in her step.


	9. The First Sandstorm

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sandstorms are not easy to get through.  
> Being sick is not the most favorable condition to be in.
> 
> Jhin deals with both of them at the same time and he's glad that Taliyah is better with these things than he is.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two things:  
> 1)Fluff chapter  
> 2) I'm gonna take a break to write a one shot Rick and Morty fanfiction

You couldn’t suffocate in an open room unless all oxygen supply was cut off, he reasoned with himself. You couldn’t  _ die _ from this unless you were completely buried alive. That’s how it worked; which meant he wasn’t dying and shouldn’t have been so concerned about his current situation. But that’s how he fucking felt at the moment: 

Like he was fucking dying.

Jhin was stretched out on his bed, blankets kicked to the ground, arms folded behind his head,  staring up at the jet black ceiling above. He was still sick and the sweat from his broken fever felt like a snake slowly slithering around his frame to constrict his bodily functions. The nausea was no better than earlier and his worsening condition forced the ceiling above to contort into shapes. Dark entities were drawing nearer and nearer every second from the shadows of the walls and with no lights to chase the demons away, Jhin was at their mercy.

The harsh sounds of shifting sands and cracks of lightning outside did not help as his mind irrationally shouted about the probability of being buried under the very land he had hated from day one. The heated air had been replaced by a bitter cold and the once comforting stone walls seemed as distant as ever. He was sailing on a sea of pitch black that threatened to throw him overboard at any minute.

He took a deep breath, ignoring the sting of his broken ribs, trying to calm himself down. Having a panic attack in the middle of such a foreign event would be the worst of the worst when it came down to it. He needed to at least stay in mind, even if his body was plotting against him at every turn. 

Maybe his favorite nomad girl had been right in saying that he should have eaten. He was feeling even shittier than he had been earlier in the day. Even when he first woke up, he hadn’t felt  _ this _ bad.

There was a loud bang and he shot up like a bullet. He reached for the side of his leg cursing when he remembered that all his weapons had been taken away from him. Whatever was now rummaging through the house was loud, clumsy, and unidentified and he had no way to protect himself from it when it came down to it.

He slowly started to relax as he heard the thing start grumbling about their said clumsiness. Taliyah. It was only Taliyah and she was having trouble with whatever she was doing. Jhin shook his head, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, slumping over his knees. Maybe he could persuade her to visit him in his awkward time of need.

“Taliyah,” he called out, trying to be nonchalant as possible (which wasn’t all that possible), “what are you doing?”

There was a dragging sound ringing throughout the room, followed by a dull thud. It left him confused and nervous. Whatever she was up to was out of the norm and he was not only curious, but extremely interested in what she was up to. 

“Well,” she started, shifting a few more times around in the dark, “sandstorms aren’t fun, especially when you’ve not grown up with them.” She shifted again and then paused. There was a moment of uncertainty to where she was for him. She had almost disappeared into the dark.

“Help? I’m not sure anything could help this right now. No offense to you, of course.” There were footsteps towards him. They were confident in the pitch black of the room and Jhin couldn’t believe that she wasn’t claustrophobic at the very moment like he was. Of course she had lived through some of these storms, but he never expected someone to be this comfortable in moving around a dark room when everything sounded like they were spinning in a void.

He jumped when a hand brushed his knee. It was her, thankfully, and he reached out to gently touch her wrist to let her know he was there. Even if that idea was irrational to him, it did help his anxieties. He could feel her warmth on his skin and smell the subtlety of the sands dancing with the now familiar and soft scent that he could only described as Taliyah. Her closeness eased the tightening in his chest and he was glad he could breathe a sigh of relief.

“Then trust me,” she said, grappling for a hand hold that was difficult to get in the current situation. He obliged, however, and she found the place she was looking for, gently grabbing his hand. He could almost see her smile through the dark; she could physically light up a room even in the darkest of times, he was sure.

Surprisingly, she pulled on his hand and he stood up without a word, keeping his grip on her  tight (tighter than he was willing to admit). He didn’t want to lose her in the darkness that surrounded him. An immature voice in the back of his head whispered insecurities about the raging sand outside breaking in and sweeping her away from him. 

Taliyah shifted again and Jhin could feel the floor move. A sinking feeling of dread set in and he could feel his panic rising quickly. What was she doing? She shifted around a few more times and he felt a soft and warm item touch his open hand. She was grabbing the blankets from the floor, he deduced, calming down once more. 

This was stupid, he grumbled to himself, and you’re just as stupid for being so scared of a storm. This was no major event and he was not in immediate danger. Hell, even facing his own death hadn’t been this nerve wracking.

“Don’t let go and follow me,” she said. He didn’t argue and slowly followed behind her, careful not to trip either one of them. As they walked, he found he was much slower than she was fast and ended up tripping anyways.

But the room was dark and she couldn’t see his blunder, so instead he collected himself with one large step, and prayed he didn’t run into her when they stopped. And he didn’t, which was nice. He then waited quietly for further instruction.

She didn’t say a word, but moved around as if she were speaking clear as day. Taliyah moved towards the floor and Jhin matched her. She pulled their intermingled fingers forward and he could feel the soft touch of a mattress dip to their weight. 

“What are we doing on the floor?” he asked, finally letting go of her hand. He missed the contact, but he had no reason to overstay his welcome. It had been to lead him to here and here only and that was fine with him. For the moment at least.

“Being on an elevated surface doesn’t help your current sickness with the air pressure being the way it is right now. I thought that maybe it’d be easier if you were on the ground? Or maybe you won’t like it as much. But if that’s the case, then I can lead you back?” she seemed nervous if the rambling she was doing was any indication of how she was feeling. He couldn't understand why she’d be so jittery about something like this. She was just helping him out, wasn’t she?

Instead of getting into a long and drawn out conversation, he instead crawled up onto the mattress and settled on his back at the far edge. Surprising enough to him, he found himself touching the stone wall with his hand. They weren’t in the middle of the walkway like he had first assumed.  Once again, a silly assumption.

Content in laying as close to the wall as possible, he gave a much needed sigh of relief. The change was almost immediate and he could have sworn the stone was trying to protect him like a mother would protect a child. Taliyah was right, this was much better than being alone and stranded on that stupid operating table turned sleeping area.

He heard her shift and there was a long pause. In that moment, he realized he was scared she had left. That was last thing that he wanted her to do. Jhin, even if he was confident in the situation at hand, would rather that beautiful girl be standing next to him (in a perfect world, calling him  _ master _ ) than watching her walk out that doorway one more time.

She shifted once more. He opened his mouth to call out to her, but was pleasantly surprised to feel her warmth on his skin again and a blanket lay across both of them gently before he could. She had stayed.

_ She had stayed _ .

And she was laying next to him only inches away from his touch. His fingers itched to reach out to touch her frame and enjoy the feeling of her soft skin. They wanted to caress each individual part of her like it were fine china, run circles in her back and thighs, map every  _ inch _ of her in his mind. He could also smell the subtle sweetness that was Taliyah. It was driving the last of the tightness from his chest and filling him with a whole new kind of tight; her smell drove him  _ crazy _ and he couldn't seem to shake the feeling no matter what he did.

But he wasn't exactly complaining.

“You're staying?” he asked, easing his hand towards her in hopes of finding an unsuspicious amount of contact that he was content with. He  _ wanted _ to know she was there, even if he could hear her voice. His pinkie finger found her body and the rest of his fingers followed suit, sitting on her wrist.

There was a small shift and she breathed a small, nervous noise that he could only describe as a whimper. It made his heart twist into jagged shapes. did she not want to be here? She hadn’t pulled away from his touch and she hadn’t asked anything of him yet, so he didn’t think she had a problem with him, but he could only assume the worst. He wasn’t going to force her to be here, sure, but-

He held his breath. He didn’t want to be alone, subjected to those creatures in the dark again.

“I wasn’t really planning on leaving, if that’s what you mean. If you’d like me to, I will,” she mumbled, the sound of her voice distant and uncertain. More uncertain than even he.

Jhin felt his anxiety bubble in his throat. That was the  _ last _ thing he wanted from her.  _ Please _ , he begged her silently,  _ don’t do this to me. I can’t do this without you.  _ Yes, it had come to his attention that he had, whether he would ever admit it out loud, found himself relying on the small Shuriman girl for many things: food, water, hygiene, and comfort were just a few things on said list. He found himself losing the will to be autonomous when he could easily ask for the decisions and, more importantly, the care of this nomad without hesitation. And as it stood, he was about to lose that commodity. He breathed a sigh (and the breath he’d been holding) and shook his head, “I told you, I enjoy your company-”

“-in any condition, I know,” Taliyah cut him off, still sounding unconvinced on the matter, “I remember. But this is a little different, isn’t it? A dangerous storm outside and a room that’s so dark you can’t see an inch in front of your own nose is something...more than being in your company.” 

Jhin couldn’t help but laugh at the statement. She was right, this was a different situation, wasn’t it? Full of danger and fear and excitement; it was almost all to much. And moreover, they were in the  _ complete dark. _ They couldn’t see anything if they tried, let alone having any noise leave the room as the storm was certainly louder than they could ever be. All it would take would be a couple quiet shifts for him to be on top of her, straddling her hips and acting out all of the fantasies that danced his head about the Shuriman girl-

“Taliyah, I’m all for innuendos that are without subtlety, but I’m sure given our bodies state of being, the meeting would be more memorable for being painful than it would be sensual,” he teased (although the joke was not without its truth), eliciting a loud noise stemming in embarrassment from the other. Jhin knew this sound well; she had made it the day he had woken up and she had run into him in the hallway before lunch amongst other times. That just happened to be his favorite.

“T-That’s not what I meant! I meant--I meant this might not be all that comfortable considering how we’re--y’know, still strangers to one another. Plus, I’m sure you’re still not feeling great from last night still a-and I know what your answer will be, but I’d like not to hurt you like I did this afternoon…” her answer tapered off as a new emotion entered her voice.

He couldn’t help the frown that touched his face. So that’s what was on her mind. He hadn’t even thought of blaming her for what had happened; he had  _ offered  _ his help and she used it like any grateful person would. His body had failed  _ them _ , not just him. He didn’t blame her for that. And he certainly wasn’t hurt by her (other than being forced back to his room, feeling like a kicked puppy, but that didn’t really  _ hurt _ him). In fact, she had been his caretaker since day one! 

“I don’t see it the same way, my dear,” he spoke, “although I did have an--interesting afternoon, I surely couldn’t blame you for my illness. Besides, I don’t feel as bad as I once did.” He didn’t mention that it was because of  _ her _ laying next to him. There was a huff from the girl, but she seemed to settle without another complaint. Surprising to the man, she slid closer to him and he could feel her shoulder press against his. With a content grin plastered on his face, he shifted to press back into the new touch. 

“Jhin, can I ask you something?” she spoke, voice barely above a whisper. 

“Of course,” he answered.

“Do you think that after you heal, we’ll go our separate ways? In the way that we never see each other again.”

His grin faded into a frown. Sadly, he had considered that as an option in life. They were from two different areas of the world with two different agendas. He was older than her and she was still so young in his eyes. Almost a ten year gap made their lives much different from one another (let alone the impending conversation about his current profession) and it weighed on his mind heavily. The relationship would never be equal, even if they were just friends.

As much as the words stung, he’d be damning himself to hell if he didn’t concede to them: distance would probably be the best for them.

For  _ her _ , he snapped to himself, it would be for her and her alone. He could enslave her through force (albeit promising Magdelena that he wouldn’t) and take her back to Ionia gagged and bound. The idea, however appealing it was with others that he had done it to, didn’t settle with him correctly. Like it was said last night, she was absolute  _ perfection  _ and deserved to be treated as such.

“I’d like to think that we would see each other again,” he answered, words unsure. Jhin’s hand grasped her wrist softly, afraid she’d slip away if he didn’t. She eased her arm up, fingers tugging at his to pulling them down. Their appendages sat lazily within each other’s grasp. 

Jhin couldn’t stop the blush that flourished across his cheeks. The reciprocation wasn’t unwelcomed nor did he pull away. Maybe distance wasn’t the best idea, he thought. If she wanted to be here, then who was he to stop her?

“I hope so.”


	10. The Rhythm of Four

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taliyah and Jhin live through the night.  
> Yet, Taliyah doesn't know if she's going to live through the next day.  
> At least not without massive embarrassment following her to her grave.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been months.  
> Hi everyone!  
> Add me on league to hassle me for next chapter  
> IGN: Engiffyserce

If heaven existed, she might have just found it.

Taliyah opened her eyes and gave a small smile. She had slept well through the storm (better than usual, she noted) and the scent circling her was the best thing she’d ever smelled in her life. With a scrub of her eyes, she took in her surroundings, eager to find out what the storm had changed (and not so eager to see what had been damaged). She eased herself up slightly, confused on the weight pulling at her middle. With a quick scan of her situation, she was comfortably situated between her mattress she had dragged into Jhin’s room for the night, the blanket that coupled the bed, and--

Jhin’s arm hung loosely about her hips. 

During the night in their sleep, they had shifted to pull each other close. Jhin’s body enwrapped her in warmth and his lips just barely brushed against her forehead. His breath was even and deep, moving her bangs with every exhale. Taliyah was snug against his chest, fingers holding the fabric of his shirt loosely. Her own lips just barely brushed against his neck.

This was not what she had planned out in her head. She expected to wake up with him facing the wall or curled  _ away  _ from her, not curled  _ around  _ her. She was immediately flustered and blinked rapidly. This was an extended dream, right? She hadn’t  _ actually _ done this to them? There was no way she had gotten  _ physically entwined  _ with this man. 

She didn’t want to move away from him, however, and she didn’t at first. With a deep breath, she closed her eyes and snuggled back in. A few more minutes of this couldn’t hurt her, she reasoned. The stoneweaver shimmied her hips over to lay parallel with the other’s body. The heat trapped between their bodies was enticing and Taliyah didn’t try to escape its grasp. The cold of the night still nipped at her heels.

And with her shift, he shifted as well. He grappled with her shirt to pull her closer and she allowed it. It was only another moment before they were pressed together and Jhin breathed a sigh of relief. With one eye open and half-lidded, he rearranged his arms to lay at her waist and sneak his chin over her head. 

In a quick moment of sleepiness, she slipped her leg between his and hooked her ankle around his calf to take what little space between them out of the equation. She could feel him ( _ all _ of him, a voice proclaimed in the back of her mind) and was surprised they slotted together so well. She felt perfectly comfortable, not one muscle out of place. How long she would be able to stay? That was a consequence that she tried desperately not to think about it.

And with a little help from Jhin, that train of thought was replaced with the happiness she received from watching him smile his small smile to her. “G’back to sleep,” he mumbled through his half-conscious state, as if she hadn’t been doing that in the first place. She could feel his breath even out once more against her skin. 

Before she could answer him, he was gone just as quick as he had woken up. Back asleep against her without resignation. Cute, she mused, very cute.  _ He _ was cute. He had  _ been _ cute. Past his older, attractive looks (which she was not going to discredit as attractive, just not as cute), he had a cute personality and a cute sense of humor and a cute aura that she found herself wrapped up in.

Jhin was cute and Taliyah would not deny it.

(Which she’d never get enough of.)

She closed her eyes, a grin plastered on her face. She buried herself in his shirt and took a deep breath. This was good no matter how short lived it was, she decided, and she was going to enjoy it for however long it lasted.

* * *

 

When she opened her eyes the second time, she could tell it was considerably warmer in the room and that the two of them were uninterested in being uncomfortable. 

The blanket had been tossed to the side by both of them. Jhin was on his back with his arm thrown over his eyes and the other cradling the stoneweaver. Taliyah had ended up curled against his side, faced away from him. Her arms were tangled around his and her cheek was pressed into his skin. It wasn’t as intimate of a position, but part of her liked it even more than the former place she had been in. It felt more natural.

Although awake, she was in no rush to start her day and pull down the heavy slats. She was content with resting in the presence of this man for as long as possible. Sunlight filtered through cracks of the barred windows, patterning across the two of them and warming the stone walls, painting the usually gray interior a soft orange. The smell of herbs wafted around her, soothing the dull ache in her muscles from yesterday’s labors. She smiled and sighed, closing her eyes and drinking in the morning comforts that this room always offered. As her energy was pulled from the stone, she sat up, running a hand through her messy hair and slowly stretching her sore muscles.  

Her long needed morning meditations was only interrupted when she felt the mattress move coupled with an airy groan. She opened her eyes, turning to watch Jhin slowly stretch out his limbs, one by one. When he got to his left arm, she watched his face twist in pain as the bandages pulled from his skin. Forgoing stretching any farther with it, he eased it down to lay it on his middle. 

Taliyah didn’t notice his eyes had opened until he spoke, “Good morning.” His voice was heavy with sleep and his body was not quite alert yet. Taliyah found it mildly amusing.

“Morning,” she parroted, turning to give him a small smile. He returned it and her next few words were full of happiness, “sleep well?”

“Better than I have in two weeks, actually,” he responded. With each word, his drowsiness wore off and his voice strengthened. He sounded much stronger than she had ever heard him and hoped that meant he was starting to heal. With a hum of affirmation, he tucked his right arm behind his head. He looked content and her heart sung praises. “And you?”

His tone, unfortunately, made it sound like he didn’t care for the two of them sleeping together. His tone told her that he might not even remember readjusting during the night. But that hadn’t been the  _ point  _ of it in the first place, she reasoned. It had been about making him more comfortable and comfortable he was. She tried to deny the frown forming on her lips and instead answered his question. 

“As well as I could, given the circumstances,” Taliyah said, turning back to the window. She relaxed back into the striping sunlight. Everything was fine, she nodded to herself. She went to stand, careful not to fall back onto the mattress like she usually did in the mornings (she had never had the best balance in the world to start with and the mornings were even worse). After straightening out her pajamas, she stretched her arms up and then bent down, trying to touch her toes. Of course she couldn’t, and with a huff, she stood back up and readjusted her shirt.

“Did I ever tell you just how strange you are?” a voice pulled the stoneweaver from her preening and she turned to look at the owner. She scrunched her nose and considered the man for a second.

A newborn, coy grin plastered his face and his eyes shone with a childlike interest. Although his posture hadn’t changed, his attention had and she now knew his eyes had been watching her for as long as she had stood up. Amusement rolled off him and she could feel her conscious eat away at her confidence. Strange, huh? That was not a well boding statement. But, she wasn’t about to lay down and die over it.

“Do you now? What if I said I find  _ you _ strange, if not stranger than I am,” she retorted, crossing her arms.

Out of all the reactions she expected, the one he chose was not one of them, “You think that I do not know myself? I know I’m a strange creature with even stranger fascinations with this world. That’s not new. However, you my dear are no different than I and you desperately try to be. It makes your strangeness, stranger” The grin grew on his face, seemingly proud of himself and his monologue.

“I don’t--I don’t think of myself like that! I know who I am and I know how...odd I am,” she defended herself, shaking her head. She couldn’t believe this guy sometimes. 

He snickered, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath, “Sure you do. Look, girl, strangeness isn’t a bad thing. In fact, I find it cute.”

“Cute?” she asked, cocking her head to the side. For the first the first time during this conversation, Taliyah smiled and with a giggle, she knew she would have the high ground in this match of banter, “you think I’m cute?”

Jhin didn’t move, didn’t speak, and for a long moment, she was afraid she had done something wrong. Maybe that was taking it too far, especially if the answer was no (which usually it was when hesitation was involved in an answer). Her smile slowly faded and her joyful determination to one up him diminished into a quiet and reserved fear. What if she had a mistake?

“I find your strangeness cute, yes,” he started, face still unfaltering. Before speaking another word, he sat up slow and deliberate. His formerly tucked arm slowly rubbed his neck and his blue eyes opened to look up at her. Suddenly, a eerily familiar tiredness creeped across his face and she knew she had made some sort of mistake, “but that’s not what you asked, now is it?”

“I-didn’t mean it like that. If that’s-look you don’t have to answer it for-for whatever reason you don’t want to,” Taliyah’s words were quick and uncomfortable. She wanted out of this chat. This wasn’t all that fun if it was going to drag up and out bad things.

Once again, as if he heard her thoughts, his mood swiftly changed. A soft smile pulled at his lips and he shook his head. He came to stand, obviously more trusting of his body than she was of hers, as he swiftly towered over her once more. “You think that the answer would be no, yes?”

“No! I mean, yes? Or, maybe both. I’m not sure.” Her stutter wasn’t going to go unnoticed, was it?

A small hum escaped the man and he raised his eyebrows. She didn’t dare look directly at him. “How about this: I’ll answer you after you treat me to a new pair of clothes and some food. That seems like a fair trade.”

Taliyah nodded quickly, unable to find words to fulfil the distress she was now enwrapped in. This was not a deal she wanted to make, especially if it delayed the answer. But he was right, beyond any other personal matters, he did need to change. It had been some time since he had been allowed new clothes and the stoneweaver was sure that there was even a point where he didn’t appreciate his own odor. And she was sure Magdelena knew that as well. And if the healer knew, then the stoneweaver was sure that he had already been provided with such necessities.

And she was correct. With a turn of her head, two separate sets of clothes sat on the stone slab in the middle of the room. Taliyah ambled over, hands grabbing at the pile obviously meant for her. 

It wasn’t clear what Maggy had in mind. As both of them needed to pull down the dusty slats from last night, why were they both being put in pure white outfits?

Jhin had followed, standing next to her. His hand ghosted the fabric of the shirt and he chuckled, shaking his head. “I can truly say that I appreciate a clean outfit like this one, but this is slightly  _ too _ clean, isn’t it?”

“For today, yes they are,” she mumbled. 

“Odd choice,” he spoke.

She hummed in affirmation. “I’m sure they’re better on than off.”

Taliyah turned, heading towards the door. She wasn’t going to wait to prove that statement.

“Where are you going?” he called out and she stopped, turning to look over her shoulder. His face was riddled with confusion and another emotion she couldn’t exactly place. A cross between disappointment and fear (disappointment and fear of what, she could not tell).

“To--change? Why?”

“I don’t see why you can’t change here.”

She barked a laugh. “Are you kidding me? Please tell me this is a joke.”

His prolonged silence was unnerving and his words to follow even more so. They were soft, gentle, and almost unsure, “I would think that after seeing each other completely naked for an extended period of time, it wouldn’t be a problem to change clothes in the same room.”

“You’re not uncomfortable with that idea?”

“Not at all. If you are, please, don’t stay. I have no interest in being impolite.”

“No that’s not-Ionian culture seems much more sanctioned than tribe life around here. I was just expecting you to-”

“Squirm at the idea of a woman’s body near mine? My dear, don’t take this the wrong way, but I’ve seen many women naked and yours is nothing unconventional to me.”

Taliyah shrugged, tipping her head. With a sigh, she answered his overarching question, “If you so insist.” She moved towards a corner of the room. There was a difference between changing in the same room and changing near somebody and she wasn’t exactly comfortable with the latter idea. 

Taliyah placed her clothes on the ground before stripping her shirt, pants, and panties. Her eyes scanned herself out of practice, running her fingers over scars and major imperfections. With a small shake of her head, she slowly redressed, uninterested in the pure white that she was to be adorned in. Even worse, Magdelena had pulled an undergarment for her chest, which were not her favorite things in the world. 

Apparently white doesn’t work for overweight people.

Shifting her shirt one more time, she turned to face Jhin. He must have found his outfit slightly distasteful because of the way he tugged at his own shirt. However, Taliyah thought, at least he looked  _ good _ in the color. He could pull this off, even if he didn’t want to. And instead of exploiting the imperfections of his body, it emphasised just how trim and muscular the young man was. He looked so angelic, it was ridiculous.

“I’ve known you for only a week, and I can already tell that staring might be the strangest thing you do,” Jhin said, grinning down at the young woman.

She blinked, shaking her head. “I was just thinking about the clothes is all. They look...nice on you,” she answered with a small wince. Was she really staring? She really had to stop that. 

He laughed, “You think so? White is such a boring color without detail. As an artist, I find simplicity mediocre if it cannot be backed by the complexity of subtle details.”

Taliyah shrugged. “Art is finicky,” she said, walking towards the exit once again. She didn’t need to look back to know he was following her. She could say that she knew he was good at following, “I didn’t know you were an artist.”

“There’s many thing you don’t know about me,” he laughed, “all you have to do is ask questions to make that list smaller, dear.”

“Oh, well, I doubt you want me prodding into your personal life all that much. Once you heal, home awaits for you a continent away,” she responded, anxiety bubbling into her succeeding laugh. They were almost to the kitchen now, thankfully, “anyways, how is your arm feeling?”

He was quiet for a moment, clicking his tongue. He was irritated with something. What, she did not dare pry, “Sore, but much better than before. Fortunately,  I don’t believe there will be a continuing issue with it. Unfortunately, my hand isn’t responding properly yet.”

“That’s good. Not the part about your hand but y’know, the rest. The quicker you heal, the quicker you can get back to your life.” And out of mine, she omitted, so I don’t fall all over you like a love struck school girl anymore. 

He didn’t respond.

Before the conversation could go any farther south, they made it to the kitchen. Magdelena was standing by the cast iron stove, cooking what looked to be breakfast. Her lower half was dusted in sand and her greying hair was pulled back into a bun, also covered in sand. She must have already gone outside. How she got those heavy slats off the door, Taliyah would never understand.

“Good morning,” she greeted, not turning from her current activity. She sounded content. The storm must have not done as much damage as Taliyah had feared. 

The two of them gave their separate greetings and both of them sat at the stone island side by side, awaiting a new (and in Taliyah’s case, better) conversation. Water and cups sat in the middle for use. 

“How did the Great Weaver treat you two?” Magdelena started. It was an ordinary way to put the concept of living through a deadly storm into words. Vague, yet beautiful. And the stoneweaver rather the healer quiet the anxieties of the night with unique metaphors than overwhelm them with the sanctity of their lives. Taliyah wasn’t one of those people who enjoyed placing her life over the world itself. If she was meant to die, then so be it. A selfless commitment to the Great Weaver, her father called it.

“Wonderful, I would say,” Jhin answered, reaching for a cup and the water. Taliyah watched him pour and shift the cup to sit in front of her. She eyed him, hoping to her Goddess that she wasn’t blushing. Instead, she gave thanks through a smile. She could feel her heart pound against her chest as he threw a small smile back at her, “it wasn’t as bad as I believed it would be.”

“No? That’s a surprise. Usually storms are not easy for  _ aj’nabi _ ,” she responded. 

“You know,” he started, pulling a second cup towards him and pouring for himself, “I would have expected it to be worse, but it seems as if your goddess was by my side for the night. And although I do not know what ‘ajnabi’ are, I’m sure that I was lucky to have her if I am one of those.”

The stoneweaver looked over at the man again, butterflies invading her belly. He was talking about her, wasn’t he? There was no way, she rejected, hoping that he wouldn’t throw another smile at her. This time, he didn’t look over at her. Instead, his fingers drummed against the cup as if he were nervous. Taliyah wished he had thrown that smile this time.

Magdelena chuckled, throwing whatever she had made onto a nearby plate full of similar food with her spatula. She placed the tool to the side, walking towards the island without extinguishing the stove. Taliyah noted that it was actually quite chilly in the room without the sun streaming through the windows. “I’m happy to hear you lived through it unscathed. Not everyone is so lucky.”

“I can assume so.”

Taliyah’s hands wrapped around the cup, staring at the surface of the water. It was calm, calmer than her mind, and she desperately wished she could be that water for the moment. It would be nice to be the one being stared at rather than the one staring like she always was. Then maybe she didn’t have to be the weird one in her life for once. Maybe she could understand what the girls in her tribe felt about those boys and those stories.

“Well then, I’m sure we could throw a party to give thanks for our survival, but the house must be fixed,” the healer started, placing the food on the table, forks waiting on the plate, “and since you two are young, that is what you will do.”

Neither of them answered, Taliyah fully knowing that there was no argument against it anyways. She reached for a fork and slowly pulled at the pile of food on the plate, happy to know it was some sort of frittata filled with vegetables by the wafting smell. The trio was quiet during the meal, emotions easing away. 

After finishing her fill, Taliyah wasted no time with the tasks at hand. She didn’t want to draw it out anymore than it was already to be drawn out. So she made way to the exit of the house to slip her shoes on and walk out into the land. Fortunately for her, Magdelena had been outside already and most of the heavy lifting had been finished there, other than unlatching all the windows. 

The sun was hot and bright, clouding her vision for a moment. When she adjusted, the scan of the dunes was easy; everything seemed as it had been. The sands snaked across the rocky planes and the bright blue skies spotted with wispy clouds cut the land in half. The body of the rushing winds ruffled her hair and tickled her ear like a secret mouthed in shied trust. These Shuriman sands were wild and beautiful as always and she adored them all the same.

With no surprise to her, the earth was blown up against the stone abode and it needed to be settled back in place. So when she turned to face the house after a handful of steps forward, leaning down to ghost her hands above the warm grains, her heart skipped a beat and a long sigh of relief escaped her. It spoke to her, happy as can be, yet asking for assistance to even out once more. Taliyah’s eyes closed and the invisible connection to the stone erupted to life, mini vibrations slowly shaking the golden sands back down to a more even plateau. 

Her eyes opened and she scanned her work, satisfied with the settling of the sands. Her sweep ended when her eyes feel upon the petrified tree in the yard. Now decorated with a blood smear from the beginning of the week, the tree looked more like a target than a relic from the past. Funny how events created unique consequences.

A target, Taliyah thought, something I could hit. If she was honest, she missed throwing stones like she did with Yasuo. Although she did so every now and then, it wasn’t like the days of her training that she yearned for. She enjoyed physical challenges.

Her hands dropped low again and the ground shook. Graceful and fluid, she lifted herself and brought her hands up, flicking her wrists at the end of her outstretch. Automatically, pillars of rock emerged from the ground and the earth stilled, rearranged by her powers. She curled her fingers and stone shot up from the sands, hovering around her shoulders, creating palm sized projectiles. 

Unused to needing her powers for offensive techniques, the warming sands under the soles of her feet felt slightly too foreign for this activity. Yet, she considered, that’s what practice was for: practice. So when the first rock rolled off the palm of her hand towards her target, a smile spread across her face. When it hit her target, that smile grew.

The sands weren’t as foreign as she had fretted.

* * *

 

Her practice continued and expanded with the different ways she knew how to weave the earth. The movements, the sun’s warmth, and the dance of the sands invigorated her; it had been a while since she broke a sweat in the land that she loved the most. It was magical. 

Taliyah wasn’t sure how long she practiced her aim. The sun was still high, so it couldn’t have been too long. Or maybe it was much longer than that, the sun stopping to gaze in awe at her abilities. The Great Weaver must have admired her work, after all. Her shirt was dust covered and sweat rolled down her back. It definitely wasn’t her most put together look, but who was when they worked out? She never had been, that’s for sure.

“You’re much stronger than you lead yourself on to be,” a voice, so stark from the silent land around her, complimented. The stoneweaver looked over and was met with the sight of Jhin ambling over, items in hand and an ammo belt hanging from his shoulder. He looked interested. Amused even. He must have been watching, she surmised, looking away in embarrassment. 

She had forgotten he existed. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she answered, dropping the stones hovering around her except for the one in her hand. That one was tossed at one of the chipped stone pillars, bouncing off the low side of the middle pillar.

“I’ve watched you throw a dozen shots and each one seems to take a large amount of stamina,” Jhin retorted, raising an eyebrow. Taliyah noted that cut across the bridge of his nose was healing and the scar peaked out from the scab every time he made a face. Funny how a little bit of time changes things. Unique actions, unique consequences.

“I guess I’ve just gotten used to it. I’m sure you would, too.”

Jhin gave a small shrug, rearranging the items in hand. It took Taliyah another look before she understood what they were. She winced, taking a small step back. Weapons in the hands of a person she didn’t know was a cautionary tale to say the least. Even when she had almost buried Yasuo, she knew he was capable of harm if he wanted to. Jhin, even at this point in healing, was a threat and a threat she wasn’t exactly sure about just yet. 

He must have caught on as a small chuckle escaped him, “Don’t worry, I’m not going to shoot you. I have no interest in hurting someone I owe my life to.” He was gentle with his words and made no move to approach her. He seemed sincere enough with it and if he wanted to kill her, he probably would have done so already. She did fall asleep in his presence more than once (not to mention last night’s cuddling).

Taliyah nodded, pushing her apprehension to the back of her mind. His steps were still ginger, however, and she silently thanked him for the subtleties. When he came to stand next to her, his hands were quick to check the clip, examined the gun once or twice (four times, she counted) and locked everything back into place, safety off.

“Your arm is still bad, though. I don’t understand how you’re going to be able to use it,” she spoke, cocking her head to the side. 

His grin widened. “A real man knows how to shoot from both hips, my dear.” 

With very little warning, he raised the weapon with his right hand, closed an eye, and pulled the trigger once, twice, thrice--

And all the bullets hit their mark, chunking a pillar each time one hit. There was a pause in his fourth shot, his stance changed instantly, and he pulled the trigger.

The sound rang through Taliyah’s ears like an a roll of thunder. Even in the open, the wind couldn’t help buffer the impact of the resounding  _ crack _ . She flinched, covering her ears (even if it was too late), but her eyes stayed open. Her eyes stayed glued to the bullets target. Where the bullet should have hit.

Except it didn’t  _ exist _ anymore. The bullet crushed the pillar into thousands of pieces, sprayed across the ground. It was demolished, obliterated,  _ destroyed _ . She didn’t know how to react. With fear, awe, inspiration? Either way, a shiver ran down her spine. This was incredible power, something she had only seen a handful of times in her life.

Her hands dropped from her ears and she straightened up, looking over to Jhin. Pride radiated off of him. It was slightly crass and arrogant, but Taliyah couldn’t judge him, considering what she just saw. His hands gracefully reloaded the gun, used shells falling unceremoniously to the ground.

“It’s only so lovely for me to show you,” he started, quiet yet excited. This was something he was passionate about, she could tell, “but quite possibly, you’d like to try it?” 

She was hesitant, concerned for not her personal safety with the gun, as she was accustomed to trying new things, but  _ his  _ safety. She was clumsy and uncoordinated, and surely if she did something wrong, it wasn’t going to be her paying all that big of a price.

“I-I don’t think it’s that good of an idea, Jhin,” Taliyah muttered, shying away from him, “it’s not exactly something I know how to use.”

“Nonsense!” Jhin exclaimed, current mood unbothered by what she had just said. It seemed like he wasn’t taking a no this time around, “come now, it’s easy. I’ll guide you through the whole process.”

Before she could argue, he swept behind her and pulled her to his chest, grounding her between the sands and his body. She wasn’t going to fly backwards on the first shot, she knew that much. With a quiet sigh and a shake of her head, she dropped her reluctance and allowed herself to be pulled any which way her companion desired. 

One shot, Taliyah reasoned with herself, one shot and that’s it.

She was handed the weapon and his hands wrapped around hers, pulling her arms up and out, straightening her stance. She leveled the gun and shifted to become comfortable both with the weapon and the man’s guidance. Relaxing her shoulders, she pressed into him, ready for instructions.

“Usually I’d say we’d learn muzzle discipline and trigger control, but I’m  _ impatient _ ,” Jhin started, bent ever so slightly and whispering in her ear. Another shiver ran up Taliyah’s spine, “so I’ll just get you up to speed for the shot.”

“Patience is a virtue that I uphold,” she managed, giving a shaky laugh, “maybe you should learn it sometime.”

He was quiet except for the light breaths he breathed on her skin, drawing out the moment. She didn’t think he would answer, after a while, as he allowed the winds invade the silence; but he did and the stoneweaver felt her heart beat wildly against her chest, listening to him draw in a heavy breath,  “I guess I’ll just have to be your vice then.”  

Jhin’s hands wrapped around hers, positioning her fingers unceremoniously. It took longer than it should have as she couldn’t catch her breath, mind wrapped around his retort, finding it oddly familiar and ringing in her ears.  _ Her vice _ .

Taliyah didn’t notice him pull up to stand straight until his hands dropped away and his voice boomed an excited, “Alright!” 

It shook her back to reality and she noted that her hands were wrapped around the grip, her right index finger placed onto the trigger. She could pull and it would fire at her will. It would be that swift, that quick, that simple. She wouldn’t have to think about what she was doing, who she was shooting. It wouldn’t matter and the gun, made of cold and unfeeling steel, certainly couldn’t complain about the choice. It was unlike the earth that had so many opinions, so many wants, so many  _ desires _ to be used properly. No, this time there was no guilt, no shame in a choice. It would instantaneously be done if she were just to pull-

She took a breath. “It would be so easy,” she said. 

He matched her breath. “I know,” he answered, hands grasping her hips, “it’s as easy as aiming and--”

There was a moment where the world stood still and his voice trailed into perfect silence; no wind, no birds, no hissing of shifting sands, nothing. Not even her heartbeat disrupted this perfect moment. She didn’t dare breathe. She didn’t dare move. She didn’t  _ dare _ break this pause, this integral limbo between her, the gun, and this man who had become so important. This wasn’t a time to escape from the impending force in her hand. The world was watching. 

A captive audience.

Taliyah knew she couldn’t disappoint.

“Fire!”

The first shot threw her into Jhin. With an audible  _ oof _ and a small squeak, she scrabbled to regain her composure. She knew she had hit her mark by the sounds of crumbling stone and the excited pitches from the ground below her, but she couldn’t bring herself to look up. Her vision was locked onto the smoking gun in hand. 

It vibrated with energy. The white and gold shined in the light and the smoke ate away at the sky. Its whole body was full of violent force and it had just been released. But it wasn’t done. She could tell it worked in fours; it  _ needed _ to. It was designed, built, refined to be this way. It focused in on its job, its mission, its reason to exist.

“Marvelous,” the man purred, breaking Taliyah’s trance.

She finally looked to her target. Although not a straight shot, the bullet chunked out the pillar’s edge. The rock hissed against the sand as the grains swallowed up the pieces back to its motherplace.

“Well, that was fun!” she chirped nervously. It had been fun, she wasn’t lying, but it wasn’t something she wanted to continue. This wasn’t the power she  _ wanted _ . 

“You still have three shots,” Jhin said, looking down. 

Taliyah almost said no. She almost walked away. But the look on his face, that pure  _ ecstasy _ , the pleading in his eyes. He wanted-no,  _ needed _ -her approval, her participation, her  _ want.  _ The stone was begging her to give it to him. To give into what she daydreamed about. And she could, right now. To be in control of the friendship for once. To be able to hold his attention like this.

Maybe this is what she wanted.

Taliyah sighed, betraying the small smile on her lips. She changed her stance to be a little stronger than the first, but she still kept pressed against Jhin. He, in turn, slotted against her. But this time, she noted, he was much closer. His hands had fallen to her hips again. His fingers dug not into the fabric of her clothes, but her skin. His breath was hot against her and his racing heartbeat could be felt through her back.

He must have really been into it. She found it odd that a man could find so much excitement from a weapon, but she didn’t dare mock it. It wasn’t like she didn’t get enjoyment from it as well.

“Are you comfortable?” he asked, voice teetering above a whisper.

The stoneweaver laughed, “I should be asking you that.”

There was a quiet hitch in his breath. “I am.”

Without hesitation, she pulled the trigger. This time, Taliyah was ready for the kickback, allowing herself to move with the wave of energy. She could feel herself pressed into the man behind her, listened to his exhale, and felt the shivers run up her body from the fingers gripping at her sides.

His grip tightened, but it didn’t hurt. She had gone numb. Her whole body, whole essence, was involved in this single moment. It was just her and him.  _ Her and him _ . The stone shattered, but the earth was silent. The wind did not blow, the sands did not shift, the birds did not call.

The third shot was quicker, more energized, more of a reason for Jhin to hold her. The rock shattered for a third time. The painful crack of the explosion was no more than a dull thud. Completely encompassed, enraptured, engrossed: Taliyah had been taken by the weapon.

No, that would be easy. She had been taken by  _ him _ . 

She did not wait on the fourth shot, although she wished she had. Taliyah almost heard the warning Jhin was giving her. Almost. It was cut short by the shattering bang from the gun. The numbness was replaced by a painful and forceful push of her body. Jhin’s presence was completely lost, sans the sharp pain on her sides, and suddenly everything was too much. The sands were too hot, the sky was too bright, and the sound of shattering stone hurt her ears. She lost her footing immediately, the shock threw her wrists at an awkward angle, and the world was turning. She was falling. 

The stoneweaver led out an audible gasp as she fell, landing roughly on the man behind her. Her world was thrown for a loop for a moment, much longer than she wished. Taliyah could feel strong arms wrapped around her, and registered even stronger legs pressing against the outside of her thighs. Whoever had her was not about to let her go so easily. They must care about her safety and her mistake.

“Maybe-Maybe I should have said something,” Jhin managed through heavy pants. Taliyah craned her neck to look back at him. His head was thrown back, and his chest heaved with every breath. Red tinted sand and dust matted his sweat slicked skin and shirt. 

Taliyah scrabbled to turn over, placing her hands on either side of his hips. He still hadn’t let go of her, fingers gripped at the fabric of her shirt. His  _ good _ hand, she noted bitterly. As she came to her senses rather quickly, she scanned him for signs of distress, reopened wounds, and the prospects of new ones. 

His arm was indeed bleeding again.

“I’m so sorry!” she said, words quick and thick with anxiety, “I’m so sorry and this was stupid. I shouldn’t have, I’m so  _ so _ sorry.” She blurted out her apologizes as she pulled away from him, feeling his fingers pull at her clothes as she did. She had made such a mistake. It had been a terrible mistake and she couldn’t take it back. He was  _ hurting _ because of her, again! She had done it again.

Taliyah quickly stood up, stepping back. Jhin, still breathing roughly, came to sit on his elbows. He looked up at her, scrunching his noses and letting out a gruff sigh. Taliyah stood silent, making sure not to make eye contact with him. Neither of them said anything for a long moment. 

It wasn’t until Jhin pulled himself to sit up straight with a grunt, legs extended in front of him, that the silence was broken. Taliyah still didn’t look at him as he spoke, “What are you sorry for?” He laughed gently, running fingers through his hair. His breathing wasn’t so harsh, she noted. “You’ve done nothing wrong.”

“No! I--you don’t understand,” she retorted, crossing her arms. 

“What don’t I understand?” he laughed once more. 

She hesitated. “I hurt you, again,” she mumbled.

He shifted. “Don’t be so vain, dear.”

“Well I did, didn’t I? You’re bleeding and it hurt going down like that.”

“Very much so.”

“So then that’s your answer!” Taliyah was growing impatient and her resolve not to look at him broke. She looked up at his face.

Jhin flashed a grin at her, eyes bright and hair riddle with sand. He looked a mess, yet still so attractive. Age and worry didn’t exist on his face. Pain, albeit being there, wasn’t hindering his personality. His looks, his ego and id, his charisma, was there in plain sight for her to bask in.

He was happy and it shook her to her core.

“Are you alright?” he asked, bringing her back from her moment of sudden euphoria.

“You’re happy,” she said, “truly happy. Covered in sand and stone and blood. This made you happy.”

The silence that followed was thick, but Taliyah didn’t shy away from it this time. From start to finish, this day had been long and rough and there was no end in sight. At least she was going to say her piece. He had been right, earlier: they had already seen each other naked, bathed each other, slept in the same bed--if anything was going to drive them to hate the experience, it’d be her awkwardness, her anxiety, her fears. She didn’t want that. Not anymore, at least.

Jhin’s grin had faded and was replaced with a look of awe. His jaw went slack and his once loose position was ridgid. He was staring at her. “I guess you’re right,” he said, finally breaking the silence, “this made me incredibly happy. Happier than I’ve been in a while.” His age settled back in and his shoulders slumped. He seemed lost in his thoughts.

“Are you not happy with life?” she asked, sitting down in front of him. 

His eyes followed her the whole time. “I suppose. Not in a way that is alarming, but I do feel like something is missing in my existence, yes,” he answered.

“What is that something?”

He hesitated, “Something just as vain as your fear of me.” His words were quiet, somber.

“What does that mean?”

With a sigh and a shake of his head, his answer was dry and quick. “Nothing that I could explain without making the fear grow.”

“That doesn’t answer my question.” Nor did it make much sense, she thought.

“Possibly I’ll tell you another day.”

Taliyah pouted, crossing her arm once more. “I get the feeling that you don’t like answering questions.”

Jhin laughed, a smile put back on his face, “You’re correct in that assumption. Questions breed discomfort.”

“So you don’t like me asking questions?”

“No no, your questions are--enjoyable. I’d like you to keep with them, if you please.”

Taliyah smiled, happy that her thirst for useless knowledge hadn’t become his burden. She sat on her next words carefully. She didn’t want to tread on the ground she had just gained with wrongful intentions. It wasn’t in her nature to cause havoc in that way. “You promised you’d answer my question from earlier, before breakfast.”

Jhin’s smile grew. “Whether I find you cute or not? I didn’t take you for someone who needs reassurance like that,” he mused.

“A deal’s a deal,” she retorted. Butterflies started to invade her belly once more. The answer was important to her.

Jhin breathed deeply with a loud exhale, shifting to sit straighter. “There’s no out on this one?”

“Not a chance.”

“Hold my feet to the fire while you’re at it, then,” he started, shaking his head, “if you must know--yes, I find your mannerisms cute and your overall demeanor wonderful to be around, if that answers your question.” He was ginger in his words and unsure in his tone.

Taliyah barely noticed, cheeks hot and heart beating against her chest like a drum. He thought she was cute. Beyond anything else, Jhin thought she, the plain and obnoxious nomad, was cute. She was cute!

Jhin stood up. He brushed off as much sand and dust as possible, preened his hair, and straightened out his shirt. He looked down at Taliyah for a brief moment, offering his hand to help her off the ground. She took it, pushing all her emotions down as far as possible and pulling herself up. 

Before he let go, he spoke his last piece, “You are strange, my dear.”

Taliyah’s smile grew, heart thumping wildly. His words barely reached her as she rode her cloud nine. It wasn’t often someone complimented her, even if pressured to do so. Excited, oddly content, and extremely happy, she started walking towards the stone home they currently shared. There was still a job to be done, she reminded herself, and that job had to be done today.

“Then let my strangeness fuel our chores.” She didn’t look back at Jhin as she walked towards the house. In fact, she did not see him for awhile when she entered the abode. It wasn’t until lunch that she knew he had come back in. 

Jhin purposefully avoided her. Jhin purposefully was not talking. Jhin purposefully shut down what was said outside and the silence was deafening.

Deflated and concerned, Taliyah hoped this silence didn’t last the rest of the day.

* * *

The silence had, against all of her objections, continued. All questions and communication were short and unfriendly. Contact was kept at a minimum and Jhin pulled away any time Taliyah closed in on personal space. There were no personal interactions between the two of them and Jhin made sure to keep it that way.

Dinner was short and quiet. Magdelena shot Taliyah multiple apologetic glances. The stoneweaver was sure she knew something more about the sudden mood change. But, in Taliyah’s depressing oath of silence, she held her tongue and went on with the night.

Jhin wouldn’t look at her. Not once did he even look from the plate he was eating from. Although they were only mere inches away from each other, she could have sworn he was back in Ionia and just a small fragment of her memory.

Jhin also called an early sleep for himself, dismissed with a quiet thank you and a curt nod to the two women. Taliyah, uninterested in speaking with Maggy about the day’s events, followed him shortly after. She cleaned up the meal and headed to her own room, changing outfits, and quickly curling up in the blankets splayed across the mattress that had been dragged back in by her hostess.

Taliyah stared up at the ceiling, tracing the cracks and divots in the stone. It was a meditative practice, seeing as her mind was still racing and her body reeled from everything that had happened today. It all made her head hurt beyond belief.

She bargained with finding Maggy to vent about what was going on, but dragging in an elder about pathetic child things was not her style. Her mind also rationalized going to Jhin and confronting him on the issue, but a fight after sundown was worse than sleeping outside without protection. No, she was too tired for either.

Taliyah knew she had to do  _ something _ . The bug she picked up from this frustrating man wasn’t going away anytime soon and the pressure from the situation threatened to make her body, mind, and soul explode.

With a little thought, she did have one option. Something she had pondered since his arrival.

Her fingers slid against the band on her pants, untieing the tie as she went. She hesitated, certainly, knowing that this action could cause this tension to be even worse; if she took the final step in accepting her feelings for Jhin, then each interaction she had with him would be based off these feelings. She’d become what she despised most growing up.

Taliyah would be in love.

Her fingers were gentle and cautious. They graced and stroked, touched and pressed in all the right places. The stoneweaver took a deep breath, closing her eyes and shifting to place her feet flat on the mattress, giving herself better leverage. Still, her ministrations were slow.

She noted it wasn’t about waiting, fingers and lips absolutely wet and dripping. The context of such action didn’t bother enough to slow down the process, either; stress had to be dealt with in some sort of healthy manner. Perhaps it was the savor of the moment. Goosebumps prickled on her flesh. Her insides throbbed with a pleasureable heat. She was ready, but she wanted one last coherent thought of her guest, her patient, her companion, her  _ love _ .

Jhin’s smile was something so dazzling that she could barely see past it. His smell was intoxicating and his touch, so easy on her skin and so protective--Taliyah shivered at the thought. His words graced her body in that gentle Southern Ionian accent his syllables held. She could almost hear him speak in her ear. His breath on her skin, warmth against her chest, hand on her hips squeezing and squeezing until she couldn’t stand it-

Digits slid in with a soft gasp. Three fingers filled her before she could comprehend the motion. Her body shook and she curled deeper inside herself with every convulsion. A breathless moaned escaped her and she started to move, syncing her hips and her hand to hit just the right spots. She could feel the heat building, nipping at every piece of her lower half. The stoneweaver wasn’t going to last long like this.

Taliyah couldn’t find a reason to deny herself relief, however.

Fingers pulled in and out rapidly, walls contracting just along with it. Her breaths were uneven and quick. Every movement placed another memory in her head. Every memory pulled a quiet moan, gasp, or whisper of Jhin’s name. Every mention of her muse made his voice play in her head. 

Each syllable was another curl of her fingers.

_ Taliyah, _

_ my dear, you’re quite eager to give yourself  to me. _

_ I’m surprised. _

_ Good girl. _

Taliyah’s climax was audible (thankfully not too loud as to be heard through the walls), hips bucking and toes curling, mind going blank. Her eyes screwed shut and her teeth pulled at her bottom lip. She came all over her hand, creating a warm mess the she could feel drip down onto her pants. Her shaking was uncontrollable as she rode out the waves of ecstasy. The warmth had completely escaped her and left her with a content fuzziness the spread all over her body.

As her breath evened and her mind came back to her, she sat up, rolling her shoulders. Taliyah’s hand retracted from inside her and lay back outside of her pants. She investigated her liquids between her fingers, shyly smiling to herself. She could still hear him whispering sweet nothings in the back of her mind.

She had done it.

But she had also made a mess. She bargained with herself to stand up, spent from her adventure, to clean up and come back to her warm bed.

As she quietly snuck to the bathroom, she could hear the last things he spoke to her.

_ You are strange, my dear. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving.  
> Let's give thanks for the first sex scene of the fic.


	11. Golden Butterflies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taliyah is caught in a situation unsavory to Jhin.
> 
> For the first time in almost a month, Jhin's demons come back full force and nothing will stop him from fulfilling their or Magdelena's commands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey hey! Our 1 year anniversary was in January! In celebration I've made a Discord! If you wanna come meet me and talk to me, or find other Jhin/Taliyah lovers, don't hesitate to join!~
> 
> We can play league, talk headcanons, and even get some sneak peaks of new chapters! Whenever I'm online, I'll be on this channel from now on!
> 
> Channel: https://discord.gg/rpXgn6z
> 
> IGN: Engiffyserce
> 
> This chapter is dedicated to Crypteian! Thank for making sure this one got written <3

Jhin’s first mistake was allowing his emotions to get in the way. Logics and perfect mathematically focused skills were the way to get the job done. Nothing more, nothing less. Cold, hard steel against warm and beautifully aggressive skin. No waste in between the steps.

Jhin’s second mistake was listening to his heart on the matter. His eyes had been trained on her from the doorway, watching her every move. The dance was so fluid, so fitting for a woman like her. She stepped and spun and lunged with such grace, such perfection that he couldn’t pull his attention away. Stone chipped at stone as she hit her target time and time again. He had put on his shoes (the shoes he borrowed from Magdelena), trying to find the courage to walk out and talk to her.

He had found it difficult to strike up a conversation without sounding like a total idiot (example, this morning in bed).

The familiar chime of metal against metal pulled his attention behind him. The healer had something dear to him in hand. _Whisper._ It had been held under lock and key by Magdelena since he had passed out on her doorstep. And bullets! His eyes widened, excited, but he didn’t bring his hopes up just yet.

This could be some sort of trick.

“You’re not keeping the thing, if that’s what you’re going to ask, boy,” she spoke first, “but, seeing as I’m allowing one child to play in the dirt, it’s only fair to allow the other.” Although her voice held no discernable emotion, her eyes sparkled with a wild youth. Jhin was surprised how genuine she was about the affair.

“And you’re not afraid of what I might do?” he asked, curious about her trust. She laughed, loud and rough. She was mocking him.

“If you wanted to kill us, you would have done so already when I first fixed your arm,” Magdelena retorted, offering the weapon. “Do know that if you do try something funny, I will kill you.”

Jhin blinked in disbelief, taking the items in hand. The welcomed weight sent a shiver down his spine. He had his pride and joy back! He could end his miserable trip in this damned dessert right now if he wanted. Back to Ionia, his motherland and his mansion on the hill, comfortable and clothed in the finest of threads. He could even allow these two to live with the memories of their time together, make sure that they had luxuries from Ionia that he would send back, even send for them to visit if they so desired. This could be the end of it.

Yet as quick as the thought (uncoordinated and full of holes as it was) had formed, the sour taste it left in his mouth made it less and less appealing with every second passed. Leaving Taliyah was out of the question.

“I understand,” he said. At least he could understand simple orders, he praised himself in his good natured mood.

Or so he thought.

Jhin sat at the table in the kitchen, babying a glass of whiskey Magdelena had given him in his right hand, and was currently allowing her to pull at the bandages on his left. He was sullen, angry, and indefinitely not in the mood for whatever conversation awaited him. The healer had pulled him out of his room on her own accord. Obviously she had an agenda to fill.  He wasn’t mad about it, however. He hadn’t been sleeping nor had his current mood placed him in a position to sleep at all that night. Company, even in with her current docket, had to be welcomed for his sanity.

“So what have we learned today, boy?” the woman asked not looking up from her work, “I’d hope that it’s something important, considering the oath of silence you decided to take tonight.” She did not sound angry, but there was a note of disappointment. Disappointment pointed at him.

“That I’m a coward and should be taken out back to be shot,” he answered, joke falling on deaf ears. He could not blame her.

“She needs a man willing to speak of what he needs to speak of,” Magdelena said, finishing her rebandaging job. Jhin noted it was more sore than usual, even through the haze of alcohol.

“I didn’t think I needed to speak of this so freely,” he retorted.

She picked up her own drink of whiskey, taking a long sip. “Obviously you have not studied the problem well enough yet then. I didn’t take you for stupid, too. Arrogant and self-centered, oh yes, but this? Sweet child, do not sink to such levels.”

He gritted his teeth, desperately trying not to say something he would regret in the morning. After a moment’s thought, he looked at her, voice low and dangerous, “So you’re telling me I should just--pronounce my pressing issue with her presence? Tell her that having her body next to mine is the only thing keeping my painful wants at bay, yet fueling the fire with each passing moment? Just walk into a room and say to her, ‘Taliyah, I’m madly obsessed with you and every time I’m around you it takes every _fiber_ of my being not to grab you and’--” He cut himself off, sighing harshly. Jhin threw his head back, stretching out to stare up at the ceiling.

“If you ever do that on my kitchen counter, boy, I’ll personally castrate you. Nevermind shooting you,” Magdelena finished his thought, laughing as she went. Jhin cut a glare over at her and she grinned back.

“She was so close to me,” he said, hands gesturing passionately, “she was so _close_ , and yet I’ve never felt farther away from my goal. Even when she knocked us into the sand with the fourth shot, I couldn’t be angry. All the energy that she wielded with such _grace_ and stamina. Gods, if only my father could see the beauty that I am _surrounded_ by, he’d be so proud.” Jhin’s monologue went uninterrupted as he finally spoke freely about the matter that kept him so silent.

“I almost lost it,” he continued, “lost my discipline and composure. When she touched me at dinner by accident, I almost confessed myself right there. The hurt in her eyes was too much, but I was too cowardice to bring myself to speak about my decision. It was too much, Magdelena, I swear it was.”

“The hurt in her eyes or the silent treatment you were giving her? Because there’s no way you’re speaking of her kindness to you. That’s too selfless for a creature like you,” Magdelena retorted. Jhin sat up, giving her a quizzical look. What was she talking about? “Don’t tell me you think she was okay after your sudden change of mood towards her. At one moment you tell her she’s cute, to a girl who thinks very little of herself, and then you can’t even look at her because of your selfishness. So I ask you again, is it the ‘hurt in her eyes’ or is it the silent treatment you were giving her, because it certainly wasn’t her kindness that’s making both your heads equally hard.”

Jhin winced, shifting in his seat. With another long sip of whiskey he looked back over at the woman, his sudden happiness gone and a dangerous tone creeping back into his voice. “You think that what I did was for my own comfort? You don’t know me well enough to make that assumption, old woman. If I were to have told her, do you think she would have been at all comfortable? You know a man for a little over a week, a man ten years your senior from a strange land, and he confesses unyielding love to you, would you be alright with the situation? I would hope not. We raise children to be _wary_ of strangers, not to marry them on sight over a few intimate situations. Yes, I should have handled it better, but I didn’t have another answer at that very second,” he said.

Magdelena was quiet for a moment, obviously contemplating what he said. She was thoughtful, but her remark was no less bitter than her tone before, “You could have changed your ways, boy. It was _hours_ of silence, of uncomfortable space shared, of words upon words that I could not tell _either_ of you! You’re a goat-headed fool if you think there wasn’t more than just a few things you could have done, even if your first decision had been to sit in silence.”

He scowled, taking gulp of his drink rather than another gentle sip like before. The burn set his frustration to the side and the edge he had been on for much too long loosened its grip just long enough for him to take a breath. Anger became regret as he sorted out the situation in his head. Possibly he had made a mistake; a far bigger mistake than he first thought.

“What do you suggest I do, then?” he asked, defeated.

“I suggest you apologize to her. You’re creative enough to figure out something,” she said.

Jhin hesitated, furrowing his brow in thought. There was a span of silence before he caught her attention by clearing his throat, “Do you...have any paint?” His question was small and he wasn’t exactly sure she heard at first. But, as old women do, she heard the importance behind his request, timid as it may be.

She nodded, “All the dye materials you would need are in the room you comfortably call your own. There’s paintbrushes somewhere in there, too. We have none of that new fangled plastic stuff those Piltover people use. Too fake. You’re going to have to make your own.”

Plastics? Did she mean--

Acrylics, he mused, she didn’t understand the use of acrylics, but none of that mattered (although he agreed with the fake part). He downed the last of his drink, grinning wild and excited, full of a new energy. He left without another word and traipsed back to his room, hearing his savior yell after him. She didn’t sound mad, however.

Something along the lines of ‘idiot’ and ‘child’.

Jhin’s hands were quick to scavenge through the piles of herbs, bowls of roots, and the empty wooden crates and unused panels sitting to the side of the room. He set up a place to paint with a canvas from the straightest panel he could find, pulled the colors he knew he would want for the paints, retrieved water from the bathroom, and found the tools Magdelena was talking about. After mixing the pigments, he took a wobbly step back from his set up, admiring his work.

This could work. This would work, he told himself.

Although still tipsy and not so steady at hand, he had no trouble picturing her beautiful face, the precious softness of her smile, the gentle sparkle in her eyes. No, Jhin couldn’t ever forget what Taliyah looked like, even in his dying breaths. Nothing could stop heavens from shining the grace of this angel upon him. He sat down, took a deep breath, and picked up a brush.

And so he began to paint. Quick, fat strokes to place color on the canvas; fine, intricate motions to add in the details of the face. The process was long and tedious as both the alcohol and the injuries he had sustained made the work a labor of absolute devotion and love. Yet he did not stop. He could not stop. He needed to fix his mistake, his grievance on his queen, his _goddess._ Yes, Jhin had made a terrible mistake and needed to rectify it no matter what.

When he was finished, he looked at his work. What was sitting in front of him was beautiful. It was Taliyah painted in the bright colors that shined with her personality. Her beautiful eyes, her soft smile, her gentle face. She was all there. And he had placed her on the canvas with ease, he just knew it.

It was morning by the time he had deemed this piece complete. The pale sun was streaming into the cracks between the shutters. Any alcohol in his system had passed through, leaving the artist tired yet invigorated.

He stood and picked up the canvas, careful to hide it in a tented tarp so Taliyah would not see it. He wanted her to only know at the perfect time, in the perfect moment. Between the third and fourth bar, between the third and fourth breath, between the third and fourth act.

Yes, her acceptance of him would be in the fourth act, right before the closing curtain.

Jhin was quick to clean up, sloppy as it may have been, itching to fix his new ailment. There was something still bothering him. Something that he couldn’t quite describe to himself. Something that he was sure he hadn’t truly felt since he was a young man apprenticing one of his father’s students. It was something rare; much rarer than any other many would ever admit to. Something he hadn’t truly and genuinely wanted for a long time.

The honest touch of a loved one.

The unique headache that accompanied this feeling was starting to form. It was slow to extend its company, almost itching rather than the inescapable and insufferable pounding it would inevitably turn into. A headache that could only be relieved by one thing, as much as the man didn’t want to partake in such an activity.

Jhin moved back to his bed, laying down on the blankets neatly made for him by his host. They still smelled of last night––the storm and Taliyah. It was stupid how intoxicating she had become. He grabbed up a blanket near his feet, holding it close to inhale deeply before flopping it onto his lower legs in defeat. Just almost stupid, he thought, amused by his need for her presence. He frowned.

And now she had decided to sleep on her own, away from him, because of his stupidity. She could be still sleeping next to him, protecting each other from the dangers of the world out there. Warm in each other’s embrace in the this morning chill, just as they had been earlier today. He remembered waking up to her shuffling, pulling her close and lulling into comfortable dreams full of a hopeful future that Jhin had never seen for himself.

He groaned, rubbing his eyes with the palm of his hands. He had become a hopeless man. A hopeless, laughable man. But it couldn’t be stopped, now. Of course it couldn’t. He had sealed his fate in more ways than one, and this one couldn’t be put off any longer than it had.

Although he’d rather this be done with his left, his right would do just as well.  His hand eased down the front of his belly, fiddling with the hem of his pants. Just for a moment, Jhin thought about his decision on this woman one last time. Was Taliyah the woman he was going to put all his efforts into, even if it killed him? Could he truly find happiness in this Shuriman shepard’s girl? Would her small, soft body slot against his cold, rigid muscles in the dead of night when all they needed from each other was the comfort of each other’s bodies?

Jhin laughed, pushing past the elastic waistband unceremoniously. He couldn’t say no, even if he wanted to. He was under her spell, even if she wasn’t aware of it. This girl was bewitching of a different kind; something no mere mortal nor witch could ever cast upon him with success. Never would they even hold one candle to Taliyah. She was an absolute Goddess.

And he, her loyal servant.And if this was her bidding, then so be it.

Mastrubation to Jhin was about as creative as fellatio; it got the job done, but it certainly wasn’t his favorite. In fact, he’d say he’d rather be giving than getting in any of these situations. Although, he mused, he was both giving and getting so it _did_ fit his parameters. It was a little narcissistic to be excited about it, even for his tastes.

It was at the thought of Taliyah that made all the difference however. It was to the thought of her beautiful voice. It was to the thought of of her gentle touch and soft caresses. It was the thought of her joyful laugh and shining eyes. Even these meager thoughts were perfect for the occasion and Jhin was not going to ruin the moment with extra personal beliefs.

His fingers wrapped around his shaft with practiced ease. The touch was neutral; firm but not rough nor unfamiliar. Already hard enough to play with, Jhin didn’t mess around with the usual customs of this ritual; no, he was here to finish a mission. His strokes were even, smooth, and steadfast. With each movement his heartbeat quickened, each breath hitched so perfectly. His muscles tightened and a heat in his belly grew with each passing moment. Precome dribbled ever so freely from the tip of his member, coating his fingers. He was going to last an embarrassingly short time at this rate, yet he didn’t exactly slow down either. There would be more nights for things like that. His moans were no more than sloppy whimpers as he thought about Taliyah and what she could do to him. He could almost hear her own moans and panting ringing in his ears. He could see her pressed against the bed grabbing at his skin, begging for more. He could see her beautiful brown eyes staring into his own, reading his soul, sobbing out the words.

_I love you._

His climax was merciless and sent waves of blinding pleasure through his body. Streams of his seed coated every inch of his hand and inner thighs. The noise Jhin made was loud and proud, and _goddamn_ if he woke anyone else up he’d die right there covered in his own come with his hand down his pants. His face was colored in a bright blush as his free hand came to cover his mouth. A laugh bubbled from his throat, high-pitched and filled with glee. His headache was gone and his body was taken over by something so much more painful.

But so much more happy.

As he came down, his shaking eased and his giddiness faded into a soft and subtle comfort. Jhin was tired, but truly happy. He knew he should have cleaned up, but he couldn’t find the energy to. He had reaped what he had sowed and he had benefited greatly. He pulled his hand from his pants, scrunching his nose at the mess as he wiped the reminisce onto his shirt. Gods, he hoped he got a new set of clothes tomorrow. Or more factually, later today. Until then he closed his eyes, still envisioning Taliyah and her beauty. He would fix things with her. Make her happy again. Tell her just how wonderful of a person she was. He’d do all of it. All for her and no one else.

Not even for himself this time.

 

* * *

 

When Jhin awoke, the sun was high and the room was too hot for his liking. Everything was uncomfortable at that moment. It was still painful to wake up in this dry and arid environment. He desperately missed the cool, wet air of the Ionian mountain sides. The morning chirping from the birds and the general soft chatter from the village below. Jhin missed his homeland something fierce. It was becoming more and more prevalent and the humility he was gathering was this event was immense:

Ionia was home more than he’d ever want to admit.

The man pulled himself up and out of bed, ignoring the sting of his arm. Although it wasn’t agonizing pain anymore, the dull ache and sharp jabs were enough to drive a man crazy at the end of the day. Jhin made sure to stretch the tendons, loosening the stiffness of sleep. He stood up and started his morning routine, stretching out each of his limbs in his own fashion. Of course, it didn’t take him long to complete his stretches, yet Jhin leaned back on the elevated stone bed unable to move any farther, groaning quietly.  With a deep breath and a long sigh, he admitted he was tired. much more tired than he would think himself to usually be. Whatever kind of sleep he’d gotten hadn’t been enough to get him back into a shape he would call normal. Jhin smiled to himself, thinking about just how much sleep he must have gotten if it were this hot in his room. Stress as usual was his downfall when it came to rest. It could wear him down to the core, he would swear it could.

But, the day had to go on, so instead of pitying himself, he came to stand on his own two feet and walked over to the table that still held his things. As almost every morning went, he ran his fingers across his broken mask, yearning for the days of liberation. Jhin wanted to be himself again and, with all due respect to his host, Magdelena’s home was not the place of said liberation. He hoped he could complete his task soon. Couldn’t he just convince Taliyah in Ionia?

With a long pause and a frown, Jhin reminded himself that thinking like this about her was the reason his trip had been pushed back even farther. If he was going to get the selfless shepard’s girl, he was going to have to learn how to be selfless himself, even if it was just in front of her.

Jhin shook his head, turning to look at the clothes on the table. As usual, there was a note on the pile- _’I was asked to give you these today! I hope you enjoy them.’-_ and the soft fabrics warmed by the sun. Taliyah had written the note, he had started to recognize the refined curls and swoops of her handwriting, but he was sure it was Magdelena who had chosen the outfit.

The man squinted his eyes, picking up the sleeveless turtleneck. The wool was kind against his bronzing skin, just as it always had been. The plum purple color he had picked out himself. Below that was a pair of underwear and the blue pants he wore all the time, a sign of high fashion in his youth village. And with it, the golden armored boots he wore to this god-forsaken desert.

These were _his_ clothes. Jhin was suspicious. What had Magdelena planned? No matter, he put them on anyways. As he took off his shirt, he made sure that it was inside out to hide any incriminating stains (it was hard to see, anyways. The fabric was still white enough, even with the red dust clinging to its fibers). His bottom piece was taken off carefully to fold them up. He’d offer to do the laundry, he decided, then there was no chance of anyone becoming suspicious of last night’s events. Lastly, he put the socks given to him on his feet.

When Jhin was satisfied with his clothes, he placed his armored boots on, enjoying when they clicked against the stone. They felt good, _really_ good. The pressure of the plates kept a his ankle aligned and the nagging ache from the sprain became nothing more than a bad memory.  For the first time in two weeks, he felt as normal as ever. With a deep breath and a wild grin, Jhin took the last piece of his uniform given. He could put these on as he went about his daily routines.

He walked to the bathroom, washed up and reset himself with the unceremonious ease every child was taught, and headed to the kitchen. As usual, his caretaker was chopping some sort of vegetable for a meal. Jhin smiled, glad to know there was as much repetition in her ways as there was his.

“Good morning,” he greeted, sitting down at the island with her. He was comforted by the small smile she had on her face upon his arrival. Her hand waved towards the middle of the stone surface. Morning bread and tea sat awaiting his arrival.

“Good afternoon,” she retorted, voice holding no malice, “the sun is looking down upon us already. Most of the day is gone by.”

Jhin winced. He didn’t enjoy waking up late, “I was busy last night. Turned in early this morning,” he defended himself. Before he reached for his breakfast--lunch at this point--he slid on the pressure-fit sleeves in hand. Unfortunately unlike his ankle, the pressure on his left arm wasn’t as welcomed. With a quiet hiss, he went on about his business and reached for his meal. The pain could be ignored, he decided with stubbornness.

“I hope you have something good thought up, boy,” she said.

“Of course I do,” his answer was confident, and so was he. However, as confident as his answer was, he hadn’t been so sure about giving it to her. It’d be a mistake if he rushed it, all grandiose reveals had a specific timing, but couldn’t be too slow. Fresh wounds needed quick bindings, certainly.

But beyond all that, he hadn’t seen the intended giftee yet. Usually she’d be around helping with daily chores. He had come to understand that she wasn’t big on cooking itself, but preparing for meals she enjoyed.  And after the early turn-in, there was no way she was still sleeping. Possibly she was outside, practicing her throw once more.

“Say, where is she anyways? Still not asleep I hope?” Jhin asked.

“No, she’s on an errand to the nearest trader,” Magdelena answered, “don’t worry, you’ll get your chance to profess your undying love.” She laughed.

Jhin didn’t think it was all that funny, “I’m not going to do any of the sort. I’ll just give her the piece and apologize for my behavior.”

“And when she asks why you acted that way?”

“She won’t.”

The healer scoffed, “Won’t? How do you reckon?”

“Because she’ll be so enthused with the piece, that’s how.” The joke was not lost on the older woman as she laughed her belly laugh. Jhin was pleased, “I’ll come up with something.”

“I know you will.”

The silence was comfortable as they went about their separate activities. Jhin happily waited, thinking of what he was going to say to her. There was so much he could explain to her, so much that he could hide from her, or, if he was feeling cheeky enough, so much he could loop around with so she didn’t know. All good choices, he mused, unfortunately only one was morally correct. He supposed he’d have to tell her how he felt, at least. A nervous bubble formed in his throat, but he ignored it and continued with his meal.

Unlike the healer, he didn’t notice the sudden shift in atmosphere right away. The calm quiet was instantly forfeited to an fearful weight pressing on the room with eager intent to disrupt. The warm day was suddenly gone and the dark gloom of injury set in fast; there would be little time to react, unbeknownst to Jhin. Magdelena stood up fast, speaking words of bad fortune. The stumble of breath from his lungs was palpable.

“S-She’s what?” Jhin stuttered, following the older woman out of the house with a quickness he hadn’t cared to have in a long time.

“Hurt bad and near the hands of our Mother,” she said. Magdelena stopped and her eyes trained on the horizon. Jhin was half a step behind her, eyes just as focused as hers.

“How can you tell?” he asked.

“She’s praying for help.” That’s all the older woman said. Jhin didn’t dare ask another question.

The knot that had formed in his stomach made him queasy. Taliyah, grievously injured. His skin prickled with fear and his chest hurt. Breathing was becoming difficult. Thinking, even more so. What had happened to her? Was she collapsed somewhere in this god-forsaken desert? Was the last interaction between the two of them going to be his prideful silence?

He swayed on his feet, if only slightly, head spinning with terrible thoughts.

_Taliyah._

When the earth shook beneath his feet, a slight relief washed over him. At least they could help her, to some degree. But his fears didn’t diminish so easily. When her figure appeared from the shimmering mirage of the sands, he could tell that Magdelena had been absolutely correct, if not understating the issue.

The wall she weaved and road upon was weak at best. The crescent shapes were fractured and loose. The stone fell and crumbled like the sand it rose from, hissing in the sharp heat. As she passed over the top of it, the path was not straight nor even. The rider, no better than the stone.

She was struggling to stay upright, straining forward towards her sanctuary.

Jhin struggled to keep from shaking.

_Oh my god._

He launched forwards, each step faster, longer, more driven as he became more desperate to get to Taliyah. His sight never left her as he closed the gap between them. Adrenaline surged through his veins, blood roaring in his ears. He needed to reach her, to pull her close, to bring her safety.

Jhin was desperate to protect what he loved.

Taliyah’s stone wall weaved itself weakly into the sands, letting her stumble into his arms. He in turn wrapped his around around her, pulling them to the sand. He swiftly guided her to sit in his lap in one smooth motion, soft hands pushing the hair from her face, mumbling reassuring words and gentle apologizes. His words were jumbled and pained, holding her close to his chest.

There was blood everywhere. Her beautiful, handmade clothes were soaked in the crimson fluid, if not ripped apart at almost every seam. As if they were trying to strip her, the sides were cut and the long sleeves now tattered ends that barely passed her elbows. Her leather boots were slashed and scuffed.

Taliyah’s skin was no better than her clothes. Lacerations and scrapes, forming bruises, even an arrow sticking out from her lower belly spat in Jhin’s face like a cruel joke. She was pale and unresponsive for the most part. He was sure she didn’t know who was holding her. Her breathing was labored and shallow, her whines were pathetic and weak, and he couldn’t find a way to hold her without making the pain worse. Tears ran down her face, no doubt a reaction to the pain.

Words fell on deaf ears, only reaching Jhin when a firm hand fell upon his cheek. Jhin blinked, taking a hiccuped breath. His cheeks were hot and wet with tears. He hadn’t cried since his father’s death. “Jhin, give her to me.”

Magdelena was now kneeled in front of the two of them, a stony look of wisdom and experience shrouded the grief in her eyes. Her hands reached out for Taliyah and Jhin reluctantly shuffled her over to the older woman, desperately trying to shut out the girl’s cries of pain. His now empty and blood covered hands fell limp in his lap. “Fix her, I’m begging you.”

“I will,” Magdelena said, “But you need to do something for her.”

“Anything.”

“This was an attack of bandits. What they want is more than some scraps of fabric,” she started, “they left her alive for a _reason_ , Jhin. They want whatever lies where she’s going to.”

“They-They’re coming here?”

“Not while you’re here, boy. Listen to me.”

His eyes focused, tight on the older woman’s face. He unconsciously leaned in, sands sticking to his bloodied fingers, bringing his balance back to his feet. Jhin already knew what she was going to say. He slowly stood, staring down at the mess that was currently Taliyah.

“Your gun and traps are in my room. Over the horizon, right at the top of that dune behind you, you can set up an ambush of your own.”

The grief ebbed away and the familiar crawl of control came back to him. With it, the familiar need that could never be satisfied ate away at his shaking hands and brought him to a stone cold demeanor. A small smile ghosted his lips, blue eyes pinning. The demon laugh rang in his ears. It demanded sustenance.

“Kill them all.”

He ran, just as fast he did to Taliyah, across the sand and into the house. He leaped through the doorway and into Magdelena’s room. He remembered this room back during the sandstorm. It had been cold and surprisingly bare of anything other than essentials. Jhin didn’t remember seeing his artillery anywhere when they put up the slats.

Yet here Whisper was, sitting neatly on a dresser next to his lotus traps and knives. He immediately reached out for his gun, fingers ghosting the cold steel. An excited grin and a small laugh escaped him as he settled the items of his work on his belt, attaching each one just so. He even planned to use his father’s knives this time. It was a rarity indeed, but after today, Jhin was sure his father would be proud.

As he collected his things, he could hear the two woman in the other room. No doubt they’d be moving to the other side of the house to the herbalist work room. He’d have to move to the guest bedroom for now, he supposed. Or possibly sleep on the floor next to Taliyah. He was sure Magdelena would figure it out by the time he got back.

This was not the time for such petty things. Jhin, head full of voices that only understood this need he had to fulfill, walked out of the stone home without a glance back. He was set in his mission, feet steady as he made his way to his stage.

This performance needed to be just perfect.

* * *

 

The air was still and the sun was starting to die as his hands shifted the sands to hide the last of his traps. With a quick check of his ammo clip and the sharpness of his stainless steel cutlery, Jhin stood with a satisfied hum. The same tune he had loved as a boy and now sung to himself in his most content moments. For the first time in almost a month, he was content in his upcoming work.

This would be a one for the records.

He glanced over his shoulder, wondering if he could see the healer’s home from here. He was almost a mile out from them and the house was nothing more than a blotch on the horizon. Good, Jhin thought, a little privacy never did him wrong.

His musing were interrupted by a man’s voice, deep and burdened with the accent of these lands. The Ionian turned to look at him, gentle smile all but inviting. This group of six, all on horseback, looked the part for being ruthless bandits without a necessary cause for living. Gruff, armed, and wrapped in pieces of different cloths that didn’t match at all.

Jhin knew men like this in Ionia, just the same as every land. Their blood was good for very little.

Nothing but possibly painting this damn sands red.

“Good evening, gentleman,” Jhin spoke first, “and who is it that I should be welcoming onto my lands here?”

One of the men stepped forward, the leader no doubt. He eased himself off horseback to stand in the sands, eye to eye with Jhin, “Your land? You do not look Icathian to me,” he paused, shaking his head, “but if this is truly your land, we apologize for trespassing. We are merely looking for a girl of ours that ran away,” he answered, face incredulous and eyes full of many more lies than just spew from his mouth.

Jhin hated the taste they left in his own mouth, “Is that so? Possibly I have.” He took a step forward, stance slack and face entirely too welcoming. He could feel Whisper vibrate with excitement, hidden away on his back just teeming with anticipation.

“She’s a shepherd girl, wears the colors of them and such,” the leader said, “Only about chest height to us. Likes to throw rocks.”

Jhin grinned, face still friendly to the untrained eye. These were her aggressors, then. Grime sodden, useless fools who took advantage of others. How barbaric, he thought bitterly.

“Why yes, I do believe I saw a girl like that.” The group perked up, some of the grunts patted each other’s shoulder in their own breath of excitement. The leader returned the grin. “But why look for something that doesn’t want to be with you? Too much work now isn’t it?”

The man laughed. “Sometimes braud’s are worth the effort, I’m sure you know.”

Jhin grin faded. He rolled his shoulders back to stand straighter, taller. “Yes, some women are worth it I suppose. Much more worth it than certain others in this world.”

There was a tense silence between the two men.

“So, where did she go? Couldn’t have been far. She had no supplies,” the leader finally spoke, voice straining to be patient.

Jhin could do this all day. “Oh, I don’t think you have to worry about her all that much. She’s exactly where she should be.”

Another moment of silence; Jhin noticed that the sun was setting. What a beautiful setting for his ‘interactive’ painting. The grip he had on Whisper tightened, trigger finger losing all discipline and hovering over its mark with a stutter of absolute excitement.

“I don’t understand-”

“Of course you wouldn’t. All you need to know is you’re trespassing on my land and my _wife_ -” the Ionian paused for a moment, finding a certain comfort in the word, the future of he and her; a silent and wistful sigh left him before he continued, gaze settling dangerously and the other backed up a step, hands raising in defense, “-is safe from the like of _you_.”

“Look, we didn’t know she was-”

Jhin laughed. Jhin laughed harder and longer than he had in a long time. A belly laugh that he felt from head to toe. A bone rattling laugh that made his stitches hurt. A laugh that meant very little to these men, but everything to himself. A killer laugh. “I know.”

Without another moment he pulled his Whisper from its holder, shots ringing out. The horses whinnies of protests turned into painful grunts and screams as he shot through flesh and blood of both animal and human. Jhin’s mind did not single out individuals. The whole group had to die, no matter what it took. He wanted it to be a bloodbath; a beautiful bloodbath that the only eyes who would see would be the vultures that plucked his victims own sight from their sockets and ate them over their sun-dried, tanned hide skin turning into the finest meal for the sand beetles crawling within the sands; oh yes, this would be one of Jhin’s favorite pieces and only he would ever see it. What irony for an infamous artist.

None were quick enough at the draw. Three were down before they got even a moment to react. Others reactions led them to being shredded by the traps below, activating their deadly beauty. Silver shrapnel flew everywhere, tossing it throughout the group without mercy; throats and intestines were ripped into, screams deafened by the blasts. Anyone who got through either attack and could see through the bloodied sand thrown up into the air, launched their rebuttal too late, and Jhin ducked out of the way to launch his father’s daggers straight into their skulls. At that point, all mounted enemies had been ripped apart like paper and horses’ legs broken by the lotus traps, or unloyal steeds had run away in an absolute dire panic. Jhin could not blame them; it was smart to run from something like this.

Flesh and guts and blood sprayed across the sands. Many were bubbling their last words through mouths of the hot liquid filling their throats. Others, brains oozing out of cracks from their now misshapen heads. All the lotus mechanics had done their work, now sticking out of the ground like metal memorials mocking the very souls of these men. Not all of them, he sneered to himself, not _yet_.

The man who had spoken so poorly about Taliyah was crawling away with whimpers at every drag. Both legs had been smashed and their dangling remnants dragged snake-like patterns in the deeply scorched sand. His wounds were searing with heat, still gushing blood like a split bloodbag. Jhin’s grin returned, brighter than ever. This man was in a world of absolute pain already.

The Ionian stood from his crouched position, cursing the small limp that had returned. He had sustained new damage-tweaking it in his roll away from the counter attack-and found a new reason to hate this trespasser; this injury, and _her injuries_ , wouldn’t be taken lightly, especially now that both of them were to lay in pain for however long it took to heal-once again burdening his hostess with their medical needs. Pity the Virtuoso wouldn’t have as long as he wanted to display such a cockroach. In a moment of humor, Jhin thought he looked like a cycling caterpillar trying to save itself from the cold.

Yes, this piece would be called ‘Golden Butterflies’. Perfect and remarkable for such an act of vengeance.

Jhin walked up to this leader, shoulders straight and eyes wide open. His prey cowered, flipping to his back to face the Grim Reaper. Whisper still had one shot--one gorgeous, magnificent shot. But it would have to be saved until the finale; that’s when Whisper would truly shine in all its glory.

“P-Please! Forgive me, I-I did not know. Give me mercy!” He pleaded through bloodied teeth.

“You think, after _all_ you’ve done, you think you’re going to live? Or,” Jhin scoffed, shaking his head, “dying an easy death that causes you no more exterior pains? No, no, no I don’t think so. You deserve a death much more striking than the rest, just for the trouble you’ve caused me and my dear Taliyah.”

Steel glittered in the dying sun as he pulled it from his belt. This would be this man’s finest moment, Jhin mused, and it would be glorious. He came to kick the raider over who scrambled on his stomach feebly. Jhin straddled the man without another moment of hesitation, grinding out a nasty growl and handsome smile, both which over his victim.

The fat caterpillar would now start its cocooning process. His hands shot out to catch the flailing appendages of his canvas, one by one, snapping them in multiple places. The artist waited out each of the man’s screams, closing his eyes to listens to the sobs that preceded each with such glee Jhin was sure his soul would burst from satisfaction. But he couldn’t stop, not for anyone nor anything. Revenge was still to be had and a couple broken arms wouldn’t do. Jhin easily flopped the canvas back over, satisfied with the wooden bracing holding the carvable and supple skin taught.

The first cuts were easy; straight through the skin and fat across the rib cage. Straight down from the top of the sternum to the xiphoid process. Just enough, with a few more intricate cuts, to expose the whole of the ribcage. The canvas was still alive, struggling and screaming for relief, but Jhin wasn’t done. Oh no, not at all.

The wings now grew and skin shed so effortlessly. The next cuts were much more difficult; the steel cracked bone and ripped it open to reveal the gorgeous organs below, still functioning almost so normally. He could see the struggle-a trained eye always could-and almost pitied the waste of organs in such a pathetic meat bag. Life shouldn’t be granted so frivolously, he thought bitterly, it was more of a gift than this man could _ever_ understand. Organs made pretty displays for any piece, but he skipped pulling them out all together. The birds could have that duty. No, Jhin was much more preoccupied with his next task. He jammed his father’s blade into the sands, allowing it to await retrieval when he was done with his subject.

The cocoon was breaking away now. The raider was almost unconscious at this point. Jhin had to work fast or he’d miss his moment to make sure the man always remembered this, even in his promised Hell.  Jhin quickly spun his body to face his prey, kneeling in the sands on either side of the man’s head. His long and thin fingers cradled the face, gently kneading the freezing skin. Yes, this would be his finale, his moment of absolute perfection. This is where his need for revenge would truly be fulfilled.

“Come on now, look at me,” Jhin cooed, “no need for you to miss this! A man of your tastes wouldn’t be too happy to do so.” He grinned, waiting for the response he so wanted. The response was delayed, but the raider’s terrified bloodshot eyes came to stare directly into the Virtuoso’s blue, glittering eyes. Perfect.

“For a mouth like yours,” the artist continued, “I hope your next life doesn’t allow you to have a mouth you can use. No words of wisdom, no grievances against any other woman, no way to tell someone you want to _fuck_ them mercilessly! Absolutely silence in your eternal damnation for the rest of eternity.” Sweat beaded off Jhin’s forehead, splashing onto his victim’s own. His grin widened, only to once again drop suddenly.

This was it. The butterfly had appeared and flown into the night, living a life so valiant and beautiful. Its time was at an end.

Whisper was jammed violently into the raider’s jaw, slammed in crooked and jaunt before the trigger was pulled without another moment of hesitation. The explosion was massive, the fourth shot doing its job all too well, and the lower jaw was completely blown off, splattering across the butterflied chest and organs within the carcass.

The upper jaw was deconstructed by the recoil, destroying the bone and making the teeth stand in wonky positions as the skin split wide open like the skin of an over ripened fruit. The cartilage of the nose was thrown to the wayside almost ninety degrees and the eyeballs just begged to popped out of the sockets, but certainly they wouldn’t-it would have ruined the piece indefinitely.

The butterfly’s body now lay motionless on the ground, wings freezing in the chilled sands.

There was a moment of dead silence, other than Jhin’s heavy breaths and the sound of shifting sands under his shaking limbs. He dislodged Whisper and his now teeth embedded hand. Hopefully this pest didn’t have any serious blood infections, he grimaced as he pulled out the bloody bone structures. Magdelena would fix it, even if that cockroach had.

Jhin came to stand, exhausted by the day’s unfortunate events. His father’s blade pulled from the sand with ease and started to collect his things. He made sure to grab the rest of the blades from the bodies, but left the scene intact. This was an important shrine that needed to stand as a permanent reminder to all who went against him or the ones he loved, especially his Goddess.

Jhin’s travel up had been much quicker than his shifting descent. He was tired and his injuries made it difficult to navigate this unfamiliar terrain in the dark. Although a long and painful journey, he finally make it back to the house, stumbling through the doorway in an uncomposed fashion. There was no need to be so pointed anymore; there were more pressing matters in these walls than his composure.

His stumble was caught by the old woman who owned the home. Magdelena’s gentle hands guided him to the island seats and urged him to sit. Jhin’s mind was almost too preoccupied to notice the blood now dripping from his shooting arm. Not only had he tweaked his ankle and embedded teeth into his hand, his shooting arm was once again ripped open. The pain had only been dull; shockwaves of it now radiated through his body.

“Take it easy boy,” she soothed, hand brushing locks of dirty hair away from his face. “Don’t make it any worse.”

He frowned, anxiety setting in. “Where is she?” he asked, ignoring her ministrations, “is she okay? I-Is she alive?”

“Quiet child, you’ll see soon enough. She’s alive, but she needs you in one piece. I certainly can’t promise that if you drop dead on her, no can I?”

Jhin did not answer her. Instead, he changed subject as she gently pulled the sleeve away from the reopened wound. Jhin couldn’t feel her touch the shredded skin. Stitches were pulled and edges widened, causing massive pain as she pressed against the muscle, but the nerves had already been damaged to the point of no return; Jhin was sure he’d lose feeling in this bit of his forearm, much to his defeated dismay.

Desperately trying to ignore pain, he spoke painly about the suffering Taliyah’s attackers had endured. Jhin detailed every little bit of the interaction, the name of the piece, and even the pleasure he received from the leader’s pleas. Jhin proudly expressed the satisfaction and pride he held for protecting all that he now loved.

Magdelena did not hesitate in her satisfaction nor did she shy away from the carnage he had painted for her to see in her mind. In fact, Jhin was surprised to see how much she had enjoyed the story. She was no ordinary woman, he was going to understand. “Good. They deserve every last bit of what they got,” she said, with a big smile. “I’m proud of you. You showed loyalty beyond your years, lotus blossom. The Great Weaver shines her gratitude upon you.”

_Lotus blossom_. No one had called him that in such a long time.

Jhin slumped in his chair with a big sigh, finding satisfaction and safety in Magdelena’s words. He’d shown his loyalty, he’d protected what he was desperately trying to live for without limitation. For the first time in a very long time, he had served his full purpose without feeling like some sort of abject terror to himself. Jhin smiled, all too happy to feel the warmth in his chest be one of promise and love rather than the chilling cold of limitless desire.

* * *

  


Jhin had almost fallen asleep by the time she finished her work. He opened his eyes only when Magdelena prodded him to do so. She had patched him up well, given him a painkiller, and easily relieved him of his weapons. He didn’t fight her wishes and without much persuasion needed, he found himself ushered towards Taliyah’s current resting place. Nervous to find whatever was behind the curtains, he hesitated for only a moment, looking to Magdelena for ubriddled support.

As if on cue, she spoke kindly to him, “She needs you, and only you. Your love for her will heal her broken body, lotus blossom.”

Jhin opened his mouth to say something, but the words escaped him. A thank you, a gentle quip, and witty deadpan; nothing came to mind as he stared into the eyes of a woman who trust him so genuinely. For a moment, he could feel the emotion so many spoke of when looking at their own mothers; familial love.

Instead, he shook his head and, in a brief moment of courage, pushed his way inside to meet the sight of the woman he loved. The room was dark except for the levitating fires held within the lanterns around the room. The light illuminated her body in an eerie glow. The smell of alcohol, blood, and herbs mixed into a nauseating concoction Jhin could barely stomach. His blue eyes scanned the room only for a moment before settling on her listless body. Horror gripped his heart.

Taliyah was silent, breathing labored and all too shallow. The blanket she was wrapped him covered most of the injuries that plagued her, but Jhin didn’t need to see them; judging by the bloodied bandages around her neck poking out of the wool fabric, the rest of her body was no better, if not worse. There was no sense of distress in her sleep, but Jhin could see, even in the pale light, the rigidness and jarring ache in the way her face tensed.

He frowned, cautiously approaching her with soft steps. When Jhin reached her side, his fingers gently brushed her cheek. Taliyah whimpered in return, waking only slightly. She shifted just enough to press into his touch. Jhin’s heart lurched and knitted his brow in absolute pain. Never had he seen her so fragile, so needy, so…

Small.

Jhin eased down to speak kindly, petting her hair softly. “I’m so sorry. I’m so sorry I couldn’t get to you sooner, but they’ll never hurt you again. I’ve made sure of that,” he whispered to her, gaining only the quietest of responses.

The discomfort in Taliyah’s face eased and her breathing evened out. “Jhin?” she asked, nuzzling his hand that now sat flush to her cheek.

She had been awoken by his presence, but he couldn’t upset with himself. It had helped her, at least visibly, to feel better. Something that Jhin had never been able to do for someone before. He could not find words to reply to her, only finding it within himself to try and quiet her with soft humming. It was the same melody Jhin always found comforting for himself; possibly she’d find the same safety in its tune.

Her question must have been answered. “Stay with me, please,” Taliyah whispered, eyes fluttering open and meeting his. A sparkle of recognition and quaint familiarity played in her brown eyes. There was no plea, no sense of guilt in her request, however.

Her words, although soft, had captured his soul like they were spoken by a God speaking to his people. He found himself lost in that sparkle and his conviction was held by her beautiful voice. Her spell compelled Jhin’s voice to be strong and confident. Smiling softly and leaning close enough to smell the sweetness of her skin, Jhin spoke, “Of course. Anything for you.” Her tired eyes repaid his answer with something so ethereal his knees felt weak. A small, satisfied giggle left her lips as he pressed his forehead to hers in thank you for her kindness. This girl was more divine than words could ever describe, and Jhin’s body could barely contain it.

Taliyah’s eyes closed and a soft silence fell over the two. Every breath from her was suddenly long and deep. There was no pain in her face, no discomfort in her muscles. She had lulled into something gentle and healing, caressing the very depths that sleep could offer to the ill and injured. Jhin couldn’t help finding her calmness infectious, brushing her hair ever so softly and thanking the Gods that she was alive. She would be fine, he was sure of it.

Without thinking, Jhin kissed her forehead, gently and passionately.

He pulled back and hesitated, thoughts catching up to actions. He had kissed her. _He had kissed her_. The first touch of his lips to her skin had been one of both healing and gratitude. He wasn’t embarrassed, but a nervousness over took him for a moment; all he hoped, if she remember his ministrations in the morning, is that she didn’t think him odd or out of place. When he was growing up, he had always hoped for someone to do the same for him. Now, he supposed he’d make sure others had that comfort, even if he did have a secret devotion for Taliyah.

Jhin’s exhaustion caught up to him once more. A chair sat next to the stone table and invited him like an old friend. Jhin couldn’t decline the offer. Claiming it as his own, he slowly sat down, careful not to agitate his own injuries. He folded his arms to lay next to her, fingers brushing her shoulder in constant comfort. Jhin laid his head on his arms.

His eyes trained on Taliyah in fascination. Her life could have been cut so short without him, without Magdelena. Yet, as she lay in insufferable pain, her first interaction with him hadn’t been one of selfish pleading. Her presence had easily healed his sorrow-clutched soul and gently caressed his own aching wounds with so little effort.

How could he ever repay her?

With a resolve stronger than any Jhin had felt, he understood what he had to do in life to gain her trust and her love: He would heal her just as she had healed him.

Her insecurities would become his. He would know everything she loved and hated. He would learn to touch her in the softest ways. He’d never allow his own inconveniences hurt her ever again. He would talk to her like nobody else in this world mattered. He protect her to his last dying breath.

His life goal was now to give her the strength she would need for all of life. Jhin will do anything for her without remorse or hesitation. Jhin would suffer the flames of unbridled Hell if that is what it would take for her to be happy.


End file.
